John Baptist Jackson

Christ on the Mount of Olives

Venice, 1743

Chiaroscuro woodcut, printed from four blocks

This woodcut is one of twenty-four Jackson made in Venice to reproduce a group of 16th century Venetian paintings by masters such as Titian, Veronese and Bassano. In this example he used four wood blocks, each inked with a different colour. Jackson also used a technique of embossing, which gives the print a powerful three dimensional quality. The result is a colour print which is more than a simple attempt to reproduce a painting: it has its own dramatic qualities. In this night scene, Jesus prays in the last hours before his arrest, whilst his disciples sleep around him.

Purchased in January 1958 (No. 58.1)