Pilate Washing his Hands

Pilate Washing his Hands is an 1830 history painting by the British artist J.M.W. Turner.^[1][2] It depicts the biblical scene of the Roman official Pontius Pilate symbolically washing his hands during the trial of Jesus Christ.

Pilate Washing his Hands
Artist	J. M. W. Turner
Year	1830
Type	Oil on canvas, history painting
Dimensions	91.4 cm × 121.9 cm (36.0 in × 48.0 in)
Location	Tate Britain, London
Accession	N00510
Website	tate.org.uk/art/artworks/turner-pilate-washing-his-hands-n00510

Turner produced the work as a direct homage to paintings of the Dutch seventeenth century Old Masters Rembrandt.^[3] It was shown at the Royal Academy's 1830 Summer Exhibition at Somerset House to a hostile critical reception, with the Literary Gazette calling it "wretched and abortive". Part of the Turner Bequest of 1856 to the National Gallery it is today in the collection of the Tate Britain.^[4]

See also

• List of paintings by J. M. W. Turner