A sixteenth-century hand-coloured woodcut depicting the biblical scene of Christ confronting the soldiers in the Garden of Gethsemane.

This hand-coloured woodcut by the Dutch printer and publisher Doen Pietersz. depicts a dramatic moment from the Passion of Christ. The scene illustrates the episode where Jesus identifies himself to the soldiers sent to arrest him in the Garden of Gethsemane. Upon hearing his voice, the soldiers are struck by a divine force, causing them to collapse to the ground in disarray.

The composition is characteristic of early sixteenth-century Northern European book illustration. Christ stands on the left, rendered with a calm, upright posture that contrasts with the chaotic, sprawling forms of the soldiers at his feet. The figures are defined by clear, bold outlines typical of the woodcut medium, which allowed for efficient reproduction in printed volumes. The application of colour, likely added by hand after the initial printing, provides a distinct visual hierarchy, drawing the eye to the central figure of Christ in his red robe.

Pietersz. was active in Amsterdam during the early decades of the sixteenth century, a period when the production of religious texts and devotional imagery was expanding rapidly. His work reflects the stylistic conventions of the time, prioritising narrative clarity and the communication of biblical events to a lay audience. The background features a simplified landscape with a tree and a structure, providing a sense of place without distracting from the primary action. The soldiers are depicted in contemporary sixteenth-century attire, a common practice in religious art of the era to make the biblical narrative feel immediate and relevant to the viewer. This print offers a glimpse into the visual culture of the Dutch Reformation period, where such illustrations were essential components of religious literature.