Stanley Spencer
Study for 'The Betrayal', 1914
Pencil (squared for transfer)
10.25 x 8 inches
Provenance
The Artist's Estate; by descent
Note: 'The Betrayal' is set at the rear of the Spencer family home in Cookham. The subject is the betrayal of Christ and at the moment depicted Peter has raised his sword to cut off Malchus’s ear (centre) but Jesus (the bulky figure by the gate) restrains him. The figures in the lower left foreground are the chief priests and Pharisees mentioned in Saint John’s gospel. The betrayal, arrest and captivity of Christ is part of the Passion cycle of events leading up to, and following the crucifixion.