Christ before Pilate (or Saint Lawrence before the Emperor) (recto), 1516 circa (pen and ink...

The subject of this multi-figured composition has been identified as the Passion scene in which Christ is brought as a prisoner before the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. Unusually, the main protagonists are shown on the extreme left and right whilst the centre is occupied by marginal figures. Their passionate gestures convey the drama of the scene, as does the bold use of the pen. The drawing might be a study for one of the reliefs of the façade of San Lorenzo in Florence, an unrealised project on which Michelangelo worked in 1516-20. The sketch of a leg, at the top of the sheet, is probably connected with the sculptures for the tomb of Pope Julius II in Rome.