The Betrayal of Christ (The Kiss of Judas)

The emotional gravitas of this scene appears to hinge upon a psychologically charged moment between two people. According to the Gospels, Judas identified Christ to the soldiers by means of a kiss. The two figures are shown in profile; while Judas looks directly up into the eyes of Christ, Christ reciprocates Judas’s stare with an unflinching look that shows neither indifference nor revulsion but humility—even compassion—for his betrayer. By depicting Christ this way, Giotto ensures that he remains a steadfast symbol of moral certitude amid the clamor of accusation, deceit, and betrayal.

The fresco cycle by Giotto in the Cappella degli Scrovegni in Padua is one of the most important masterpieces of Western art. While the upper register depicts the story of Joachim and Anna, the parents of the Virgin Mary, the lower two registers of the chapel narrate the life and death of Christ. Giotto’s Betrayal of Christ is on the south wall. What perhaps distinguishes The Betrayal of Christ is Giotto’s singular emphasis upon the confrontation between Christ and Judas. Directly to the left of the two protagonists, Giotto places the figures of Peter and the soldier Malchus. According to scripture, Peter cut off Malchus’s ear in an uncharacteristic moment of rage. Christ, having miraculously healed the soldier, warned that those who live by the sword will ultimately perish by it. However, this scene assumes a secondary role in relation to the meeting between Christ and his traitor.