3-042-466 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Judas Receiving the Thirty Pieces of Silver; Prayer Book of Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg, about 1525-1530. Additional Info: Judas Iscariot, dressed in blue and yellow robes at the left, secretly meets with the chief priests to name his price for delivering Christ into their hands. Clutching the bag in which he will keep his ill-earned money, Judas emphatically points upward as if attempting to drive the price higher. One of the priests at the table begins to move the silver coins toward the center while another impassively counts out the amount on his fingers. Simon Bening decided to portray the moment of cold financial negotiation, emphasizing Judas's greed. He also painted trompe-l'oeil curtains drawn back to each side, revealing the sordid, behind-the-scenes event to viewers.