Arrest of Christ

The Kiss of Judas features the betrayal and arrest of Jesus Christ

It has provided inspiration for countless artists, including Giotto di Bondone whose contribution is shown here.

Giotto's Arrest of Christ, also called the Kiss of Judas, turns a public seizure into a close encounter between two faces. Judas's yellow cloak spreads across the centre, almost swallowing Christ's body, while Christ's head remains visible above its edge. Around this concentrated exchange, blades, clubs, torch poles and watching faces crowd the surface. The fresco belongs to the Passion sequence in the Scrovegni Chapel at Padua, where it remains on the wall for which it was painted. The civic museum catalogues it as approximately 200 by 200 centimetres. ^[1]

The Betrayal by Judas mentioned here occurs shortly after the Last Supper and involves him identifying Christ though an embrace (it is from this that the phrase of a Judas Kiss was born). Those seeking Jesus then arrest him and take Christ away for punishment.

The facial expression of Judas is of a man who knows precisely what he is doing and gets a feeling of satisfaction for turning in his friend. It was the chief priests and elders who pursued Jesus, whilst armed with swords and clubs.

Satisfaction, however, cannot be established from Judas's expression. His raised face and pursed mouth belong to the painting's representation of betrayal; they do not reveal a documented private emotion. The Gospel narratives make Judas the guide or identifying agent, while distinguishing the people who send the arresting party from those who arrive with it. In Matthew, the crowd is sent by the chief priests and elders; in John, Judas comes with an armed party that includes officers. These descriptions should not be compressed into a single uniform body whose precise ranks can all be recognised in Giotto's costumes. ^{[2] [3]}

Their intentions were clear, as was the likely result for their new prisoner. On other occasions they have been described as the police force of the Sanhedrin.

“Police force” is a modern analogy, rather than an organisational identity established by the painting. The story concerns particular actors within the Passion narratives. Jesus, Judas and the disciples are themselves Jewish; the scene supplies no justification for blaming Jewish people collectively, in antiquity or today. Its adversarial imagery also belongs to medieval Christian representation, which needs to be understood in its historical setting.

Giotto would take many religious themes into his work which was entirely common for the period leading into the Early Renaissance and remained the case for several centuries after.

Even the most respected artists would have to accept the wishes of their patrons and therefore were guided on what work that could produce in order to continue to receive the major commissions.

At this time religion was also particularly significant within western society and so it seemed entirely normal to devote one's career to depicting different scenes from the bible rather than moving into other genres which followed on afterwards, such as portraiture and landscape art.

Portraiture and landscape imagery already had long histories before Giotto. Here a religious commission gave him a sustained narrative to organise, with scope for invention in the grouping, movement and relationships of the figures.

Giotto's innovations were around the style and technical prowess of his work, rather than bringing in different types of content for the first time.

The arrangement of bodies gives the familiar subject its particular tension. The embrace fills the space around Christ's upper body. With his hands largely hidden and his body enclosed, his look has to carry much of the encounter. That makes the fresco especially rewarding to study at two scales: first as a mass of opposing movements, then as the narrow interval between two profiles.

Table of Contents

• Description of Giotto di Bondone's Arrest of Christ

• What is the Story of the Kiss of Judas?

• What Techniques were used to Produce this Fresco?

• How is the Betrayal of Judas described in the New Testament?

• What Did a Kiss Symbolise in Biblical Times?

• What did Judas say to Jesus when he Betrayed him with a Kiss?

• What other Names have been given to this Fresco?

• What other Artists have taken on this theme?

• Have any Sculptures been Inspired by this Theme?

• Where can Giotto's Arrest of Christ (Kiss of Judas) be Found Today?

Description of Giotto di Bondone's Arrest of Christ

The two key figures are pictured centrally within this painting. Christ's halo helps us to identify him, whilst Judas is wearing a cloak as he embraces his friend. A struggle appears to be about to occur as other figures in the scene start to jostle and wrestle with each other.

The yellow mantle is the largest continuous light-coloured shape in the crowd. From Judas's shoulder, it falls in broad folds towards the ground, giving the embrace a heavy, rounded exterior. Christ's blue garment can still be seen at the left and beneath it. The cloak therefore both joins the pair into one central mass and makes their different positions legible: Judas advances into the embrace, while Christ's head turns towards him. No barrier separates their faces, yet the slim gap between them is one of the most charged spaces in the painting.

Christ's halo rises above the dark helmets behind him. Its bright circular outline gives his head a distinct setting without pulling him outside the crowd. His profile is comparatively long and composed; Judas tilts his head upward to meet it. Looking closely, one sees how little movement is needed to sustain the exchange. The surrounding figures stretch arms, twist heads and lift weapons. The two central faces occupy a much quieter zone, held at almost the same height, close enough for greeting or speech.

Michael Viktor Schwarz describes a longstanding disagreement about the precise instant shown. One reading places it after the kiss, when Christ speaks; another sees the moment immediately before contact. He suggests that the painted mouths and the confrontation of looks may demand something more complex than choosing one frozen second. The ambiguity belongs to the image's construction. Christ's parted lips and Judas's projecting mouth remain visible together, allowing recognition, betrayal and response to occupy the same suspended encounter. ^[23]

Giotto includes a large number of people within the fresco, though only those in the foreground are given any real detail. Long handled torches are lifted into the air as soldiers continue their search for Christ.

Above the heads, the equipment opens out into the blue field. Some poles stand almost upright, others cross on diagonals; two large flames flare near the upper centre. A raised club cuts across the left side, while a curved horn is lifted on the right of the central group. These objects suggest noise, force and readiness without requiring a separate action from every bearer. Their dispersed directions keep the upper half restless, even as the yellow cloak gathers the lower half into a broad, stable shape.

At the lower left, Peter's attack forms a different kind of encounter. His arm reaches across his own face towards the servant's head, and the short blade brings the violence close to the viewer. John supplies the names Simon Peter and Malchus and specifies the right ear; the civic museum uses that passage to identify the incident. The visible image condenses an action that the written accounts unfold in time. It need not represent the knife stroke, its discovery and Christ's response as three separate moments. ^{[1] [3]}

In front of that struggle stands the grey-clad figure with his back to us. His arm extends towards a garment at the left boundary, so that his movement seems to carry beyond the compartment. Schwarz, following a reading by Victor Stoichita, connects this to Mark's young man who escapes when his linen covering is seized. The fleeing body would lie outside the painted field. This is a scholarly interpretation of a partly concealed action, rather than a securely named portrait of the grey figure. It helps explain why the crowd feels larger than the people fully visible within the frame. ^{[24] [25]}

The right foreground answers this angular back with a figure in a pale violet robe, his arm and pointing hand directed towards Christ. Schwarz identifies him as a priest and relates the authoritative gesture to the sculptural tradition. His extended arm provides a clear route back into the centre, unlike the upward thrusts of the weapons. The pair of foreground figures thus do different work: the grey back obstructs our access to the left-hand violence, while the pointing figure helps direct our attention. Their clothing and gestures distinguish their narrative functions without giving us a reliable rank for every man around them. ^[24]

Others protest about the arrest and this causes quite a commotion to ensue after Judas's act of betrayal after indicating Jesus's identity to the army who surround them. The sky above is darkened, suggesting that they have been searching for some time to find him, underlining his importance.

The garden itself receives little descriptive space. There is no spread of trees to separate the figures or draw the eye into a distant landscape. The roughly level ground supports the crowded bodies, and the field above them allows the poles to stand out. The action establishes the place more strongly than any botanical detail. Even the blue area that seems open is crossed by weapons, so that the composition offers little visual relief from the pressure below.

The night setting does not establish that the party has spent a long time searching. John explicitly gives it lanterns and torches and says Judas already knows the garden. The torches therefore identify the circumstances of the arrest and intensify its atmosphere; they are not evidence of a prolonged hunt. Giotto also keeps the faces remarkably readable. The fresco's visibility serves the telling of the story, rather than reproducing only what a few flames could illuminate in an actual garden. ^[3]

What is the Story of the Kiss of Judas?

The incident occurs in the Garden of Gethsemane, with Giotto depicting a nightime scene. Interestingly, Jesus had earlier predicted his death and betrayal in the New Testament but was unsure when or how exactly it would occur.

The claim that Jesus was unsure when or how the betrayal would happen needs correction. Matthew's chapter begins with a prediction of his handing over for crucifixion, and John says at the arrest that Jesus knows what is coming. The central gaze can accordingly be read within a Christian narrative of foreknowledge and willing submission. It should not be explained as the look of a man discovering, for the first time, the identity of his betrayer. ^{[2] [3]}

Judas Receiving the Payment in Padua, a separate episode before the arrest. Image source. Public domain. Proportionally reduced reproduction; no colour or content enhancement.

Giotto depicts a scene of confrontation and emotion, placing yet more figures in the far background to give the impression of an overwhelming sense of inevitability around Christ's plight. His pain and suffering were redirected towards creating devotion and gratefulness within the Christian Church.

The sense of this medieval lynching is underlined by the torch lights and sticks carried by the mob as they search for Jesus. There really is nowhere for him to escape. As Judas draws him into an embrace Christ then becomes absorbed into his cloak. Their long glance at each other sums up the situation, with no words necessary.

The word “lynching” conveys the threatening pressure of the crowd, but the depicted episode is the arrest that precedes Christ's interrogations and execution. Its different acts remain significant: Judas identifies, an armed party seizes, a disciple strikes, and Jesus responds. In Matthew and John, Jesus orders the weapon put away. Luke adds that he touches and heals the injured ear. Those narrative differences sharpen the contrast between the violence at the left and the controlled encounter in the centre; the healing itself is not shown here as a separate, unmistakable gesture. ^{[2] [3] [26]}

The irregularity of the movements is important. Schwarz argues that Giotto's narrative energy comes partly from figures whose actions look improvised rather than smoothly inherited from a stock repertory. Peter's abrupt reach, the grey figure's rigid arm and the club above them make a patch of disjointed activity. The awkwardness can become expressive: violence appears as a disruption of bodily order. Schwarz's interpretation draws attention to the expressive force of bodily arrangement, beyond the individual faces. ^[24]

Few, if any, historical figures have been depicted in art as much as Jesus Christ, due to the huge role that religion has played in European society over the past 2000 years. Every significant moment in his life, as outlined in the Bible, has been used by artists at one time or another as inspiration for their work.

His turbulent life and all that he sacrificed is ideally suited to providing emotive, uplifting artworks that can also easily be understood by the masses.

Some artists have even devoted years of their life to depicting series of scenes from his life, just as with Giotto here who covered this Padua Chapel in a number of important events from Christ's lifetime, although other religious themes are also included and so he does not just focus on Jesus within this particular project.

The contrast of the central faces also needs historical care. The museum's account reads irregular features as signs of aggression and guilt. That describes a moral rhetoric used by the image and by its interpreters, not a biological truth about appearance. A broad face, a particular nose or an uneven profile cannot establish anyone's character. Giotto's Christ and Judas are presented through selected visual conventions, while their roles come from the story. Recognising those conventions lets us see how the picture guides judgment without adopting medieval prejudice as a rule for judging real people. ^[1]

Judas approaches Christ from the right, pressing against a sequence that otherwise carries the Passion story onward from compartment to compartment. Schwarz sees this reversal of the customary direction as part of the scene's resistant energy. Within the picture, it contributes another opposition: the embrace moves inward while the pointed hand from the right directs attention towards the same centre. Several routes through the crowd converge on the faces, yet the faces hold their distance. ^[23]

The fresco's emotional reach depends on more than facial difference. Christ is surrounded by other eyes: some turn towards him, some towards neighbouring figures, others towards the activity at the left. His encounter with Judas becomes a point of concentration within this scattered attention. Schwarz places the scene within a wider discussion of Christ's looks throughout the chapel, arguing that gaze can sustain spiritual authority even when physical agency is constrained. Here the enclosing mantle makes that relation especially clear: the body is largely hidden, but the head remains the organising centre. ^[23]

What Techniques were used to Produce this Fresco?

The deterioration of the frescoes within the chapel has revealed much about the specific fresco techniques used by Giotto for this project. Giotto would work in several layers using different materials, some of which would last the test of time better than others.

Auxiliary tempera was used in many parts but would not cope well with some of the atmospheric conditions found within the Scrovegni Chapel, particularly in the clothing detail on some of the figures. Some of their faces and limbs would fare better though, as they were created using buono fresco techniques.

Lime based plaster was applied first before specific colours added for the detail, all of which were known to work well with the base material. Hence, Giotto chose tones such as blue, copper green, red lead, lake red for technical reasons, rather than purely from creative expression. Tin, golden tin, gold, resin and oil would then be applied over the top to embellish the key details of each fresco.

The detailed list of pigments, metals and binders should not be read as an independently verified inventory of everything used in this particular compartment. Nor does it mean that all the named colours were suitable for application to wet lime plaster. A general explanation of the workshop's materials must be distinguished from a technical analysis of the Arrest itself.

The conservation account preserved on Giuseppe Basile's website explains the relevant distinction. In fresco work the painter applies colour to fresh plaster; carbonation binds it into the surface. Additional work can be carried out on dry plaster with a binder. The fresh plaster is laid in manageable portions, or giornate: the term describes areas worked before drying, rather than a promise that an entire scene was completed in one day. Basile also stresses the skill required to anticipate how colour would change as plaster dried. ^[27]

Those working conditions make the clarity of the composition particularly striking. The mantle's folds establish a convincing volume across a large area, while much smaller adjustments around eyes and mouths govern the central encounter. An account of technique should keep those scales together. Material preparation made the painting possible; the placement of each head, arm and overlap made its story legible.

The surviving surface also belongs to a long conservation history. The chapel's institution records a general campaign between July 2001 and March 2002, followed by monitoring and planned maintenance. This gives a documented framework for care of the cycle. It does not by itself identify the chemical cause of every patch, darkened helmet or worn area visible in a photograph of the Arrest. ^[28]

How is the Betrayal of Judas described in the New Testament?

The various gospels would slightly alter their description of this event, with earlier versions not being clear on why Judas acted in the way that he did. There were predictions by Christ at the Last Supper as to what was about to unfold.

The accounts differ in more than motive. Matthew 26:47–56 gives the agreed kiss, the seizure, the unnamed disciple's sword stroke and Christ's rebuke. Mark 14:43–52 gives the identifying signal and adds the young man's flight. Luke 22:47–53 makes Jesus question the betrayal by a kiss and alone among these four accounts describes the healing of the ear. John 18:1–12 gives the torches, names Peter and Malchus, and has Jesus identify himself. John does not narrate Judas kissing him. The fresco combines details that a medieval viewer might know from several accounts; it is not a literal illustration of John alone. ^{[2] [3] [25] [26]}

By the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew 26:15 would state that Judas acted in return for thirty pieces of silver and that these were immediately returned once he realised the error of his ways. Other interpretations have suggested that Judas was simply motivated to betray Christ because of his own possession by Satan.

Matthew 26:14–16 concerns the bargain and the thirty silver pieces. The return of the money belongs later, to Matthew 27:3–10, after Judas sees that Jesus has been condemned. That sequence leaves a substantial narrative interval between payment, identification, arrest and remorse. The cloak and raised face in Giotto's fresco cannot be used to collapse those events into one immediate change of mind. ^{[2] [29]}

His offer to return the silver was not entirely accepted because of its connection to the blood of Christ, and so the proceeds were used outside of the treasury.

Giotto gives the earlier transaction its own compartment, discussed as Judas's bargain. Keeping that picture distinct from the Arrest helps explain what each contributes. The earlier scene makes betrayal an agreement; this scene makes it a bodily approach and an act of recognition. The money is part of the preceding story, while the embrace supplies the large visual form around which this composition is built.

What Did a Kiss Symbolise in Biblical Times?

A kiss has carried several different symbolic meanings over the centuries and within biblical times it would often signify transition. Those who have passed away are often kissed on their foreheads as a way of encouraging their passage into the next world and similar was done for Moses, Aaron and Jacob after their received a kiss from God.

The divine death-kiss traditions invoked here are separate from the explanation given in the arrest narratives. Neither Matthew nor Mark says Judas chose his gesture to usher Jesus into another world. Both make it an agreed identifying signal. The relevant action is a recognisable greeting, made disturbing because its familiarity is used to enable seizure. ^{[2] [25]}

One might therefore assume that the kiss itself for Christ was an important symbol of how Judas was aware of Christ's fate and positively supported it at the time, even though he would later regret his actions. In modern times the kiss tends to symbolise romance and passion instead and have less of a connection to religious narratives.

Judas's knowledge and approval of Christ's fate cannot be inferred from those wider traditions about kissing. The painting's force is more immediate: an approach that ordinarily suggests closeness coincides with the closing ranks of an armed party. The yellow cloak gives the greeting a sheltering outline while enclosing the person being handed over. Viewers can grasp that contradiction without treating the embrace as a special rite of passage into death. Kissing also retained social, familial and religious uses beyond antiquity; the contrast with modern romantic kissing is too narrow to account for its history.

What did Judas say to Jesus when he Betrayed him with a Kiss?

According to Mark 14:44-46, Judas called Jesus "Rabbi", before kissing him as part of their greeting, but also to identify his friend to the nearby soldiers. They then immediately arrested Jesus, thanks to his assistance.

In Mark, the address and the kiss belong to the same identifying approach. Matthew likewise gives a greeting followed by the kiss, then a response from Jesus. Luke foregrounds Jesus's question to Judas. These are related tellings rather than a single transcript that Giotto must reproduce word for word. No lettering supplies spoken dialogue in the painted encounter; instead, the relation of the mouths and eyes leaves room for the viewer's knowledge of the narratives. ^{[2] [25] [26]}

Some other interpretations since have amended this incident, including there being multiple kisses and an extended embrace, and perhaps even different words being spoken. Ultimately, the impact was much the same and the betrayal was complete.

According to scripture, Judas would immediately recognise his action as a sin and deeply regretted his behaviour, though by then it was too late, other than to repent for his misdemeanor.

Matthew locates Judas's expressed remorse after the condemnation, not immediately after the kiss. The distinction matters for looking at this fresco: neither remorse nor satisfaction can securely be assigned to Judas as a visible, moment-by-moment mental state. What can be described is his forward movement, his upturned face and the enveloping garment, together with the betrayal that the Gospel story gives those actions. ^[29]

What other Names have been given to this Fresco?

This artwork, and the religious theme itself, are famous internationally and so this piece has become known under a variety of different titles.

Even just within the English language, the item can be known as either Arrest of Christ or Kiss of Judas, whilst some instead spell the latter as Judah instead. The Betrayal of Christ is another popular choice, although that can actually refer to another artwork within the same chapel, also by Giotto.

Religious followers may also quote The arrest of Jesus (Matthew 26:47-56), which is where the inspiration first comes from. Some have even chosen to use original Italian or Latin titles instead, some of which have been used so frequently now that even non-speakers can understand and remember these particular names.

The museum's Italian title is La cattura di Cristo, meaning the capture or arrest of Christ. Kiss of Judas directs attention to the central encounter; Arrest of Christ allows the whole surrounding action into the title. Judas Iscariot is the appropriate personal name here; “Judah” can create confusion with other biblical names. When Betrayal of Christ is used, the embrace should be specified so that this fresco is not confused with the earlier payment scene. ^[1]

The title also changes the way a detail is understood. Under Kiss of Judas, the raised weapons may seem an accompaniment to the meeting of faces. Under Arrest of Christ, the embrace becomes one action within a seizure already under way. Giotto makes both readings possible by giving the pair a powerful silhouette and allowing the crowd to press directly against it.

What other Artists have taken on this theme?

Those to have also taken on this theme include Caravaggio (or one of his followers), Fra Angelico , James Tissot , Gustave Doré and Wilhelm Marstrand.

A particularly clear comparison is Caravaggio's The Taking of Christ of 1602, catalogued by the National Gallery of Ireland as an oil painting by Caravaggio, object L.14702, on indefinite loan from the Jesuit Community in Dublin. Its present attribution should be distinguished from its earlier mistaken identification as a work by Gerrit van Honthorst. The museum describes a deliberately compressed space around three-quarter-length figures: Judas has identified Christ, and the guards move in. This supplies a specific later treatment of the same event without requiring an uncertain “Caravaggio or follower” label for the Dublin picture. ^[30]

The precise title used by each differed, with some naming the arrest or the betrayal, others specifically the kiss, but the content would always be essentially the same. To see artists from different movements take on the same topic is always intriguing and something that has occurred frequently within the religious society of Europe during the past several centuries.

It is quite likely that many of these contributors would have studied the work of Giotto prior to making their own versions, particularly those based in Italy who may have been able to view his frescoes in person.

Shared subject matter alone cannot prove that these artists studied this particular fresco or visited Padua. The useful comparison is the choice each composition makes about emphasis. Caravaggio reduces the surrounding setting and brings the figures close to the picture plane. Giotto gives the crowd a more extensive vertical field, filled with poles and flames, and sets a broad enclosing mantle beneath it. Both approaches make physical proximity oppressive, but the similarity is an occasion for comparison rather than documentary evidence of direct borrowing. ^[30]

Have any Sculptures been Inspired by this Theme?

Whilst the impact of religion on western society has faded somewhat in recent years, there is still a procession of artists who take some of these themes into their work.

We will, therefore, continue to see different sculptured interpretations of the Arrest of Christ, for example, with the kiss itself offering plenty of artistic inspiration for creatives to work with. A good number have been discovered in Germany and the Czech Republic from around the Baroque era and there is also a highly regarded French relief titled, Relief of the Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus from around the 13th century.

An identifiable medieval relief offers a firmer example than an unnamed national tradition. The Louvre catalogues the limestone Baiser de Judas, inventory RF 888, from the choir screen of Bourges Cathedral, to 1225–1250. Measuring about 1.1 metres high and wide, it belonged to a carved Passion sequence that also distinguished conspiracy and the handing over of the thirty silver pieces. The Louvre lists it on long-term loan at Bourges Cathedral. ^[31]

Because that relief predates Giotto's Padua cycle, it illustrates the subject's earlier sculptural life rather than influence flowing from Giotto into sculpture. Its original place in a sequence is also instructive. A viewer was asked to connect the kiss with neighbouring episodes, just as the chapel's painted compartments distinguish the bargain from the arrest. The continuity lies in organising a Passion narrative into separate encounters; the individual handling of gesture, material and scale remains a matter for each work.

That said, most more famous depictions came from the medium of painting instead and these cover the full breadth of European art.

Where can Giotto's Arrest of Christ (Kiss of Judas) be Found Today?

The painting can today be found in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Italy. It sits in the lower tier of the South Wall, and its nearest neighbours include several other artworks by Giotto, including The Last Supper, The washing of the feet, Jesus before Caiaphas and the Flagellation of Christ.

More precisely, Padova Musei places the fresco on the right nave wall, in the lower register, as the third compartment from the left in its stated orientation. It follows the Washing of the Feet and precedes Christ before Caiaphas. The Mocking of Christ and Flagellation is a further scene in the same Passion sequence. These are distinct episodes, each with its own arrangement of vulnerability, authority and physical force. ^[1]

The institution dates the chapel's fresco campaign to 1303–1305, under Enrico Scrovegni's commission. That range locates the Arrest within a project; it does not identify the individual day on which its central faces were painted. Workshop participation also needs care. Schwarz discusses the difficulty of distinguishing Giotto's contribution from that of collaborators within a unified visual language. His broader analysis does not provide a documented list of assistants responsible for each helmet, face or piece of drapery here. ^{[32] [33]}

The building itself has been awarded the status of an official UNESCO World Heritage Site fairly recently and this has helped to drive further tourism to the region.

The inscription took place in 2021 as part of Padua's fourteenth-century fresco cycles, a serial World Heritage property comprising eight religious and secular building complexes. The Scrovegni Chapel is a major element of that wider group, rather than the sole building covered by the inscription. The designation recognises the collective importance of Padua's fresco cycles; it does not, on its own, establish a measurable increase in tourism. ^[34]

The Scrovegni Chapel looking towards the entrance wall in a 2017 photograph: the Last Judgement closes the interior, with narrative tiers at either side beneath the blue vault. Derbrauni. Image source. CC BY-SA 4.0. Proportionally reduced reproduction; original composition, colour and photographic lighting retained.

Much of its success in achieving this status is down to the frescoes of Giotto and this location also features regularly on tourist routes for both domestic and international visitors. Some restoration work completed on the interior of the building has also helped in achieving this highly respected award.

Conservation supports the survival and legibility of the paintings, but World Heritage inscription should not be described simply as an award won through a restoration. UNESCO's account considers the significance and integrity of the wider property, including the relationship between paintings and the architectural spaces for which they were made. ^[34]

That relationship is especially valuable for this scene. Seen within the chapel, the Arrest is one encounter in a developing narrative, held within a decorative frame and followed by another confrontation. Seen close up, it is a remarkably dense arrangement of crossed directions and partially hidden bodies. The broad yellow cloak brings those two kinds of looking together: visible across the room as a clear central mass, it leads the nearer eye to the small, unresolved distance between Christ and Judas.