Jesus before Pontius Pilate

Fouquet was a French painter and miniaturist. A master of panel painting and manuscript illumination, and the apparent inventor of the portrait miniature, he is considered one of the most important painters from the period between the late Gothic and early Renaissance. He was the first French artist to travel to Italy and experience first-hand the early Italian Renaissance. 

In all four gospel accounts, Pilate lobbies for Jesus to be spared his eventual fate of execution, and acquiesces only when the crowd refuses to relent. He thus seeks to avoid personal responsibility for the death of Jesus.

The illustration is part of the manuscript Livre d'heures d'Etienne Chevalier by Jean Fouquet. Forty pages of it (including this work) are held by the Musee Conde, Chantilly, France.