Christ Crowned with Thorns and Mourning Virgin by Adriaen Isenbrant in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, January 2020

Christ Crowned with Thorns (Ecce Homo), and the Mourning Virgin
ca. 1530–40


Object Details

Title: Christ Crowned with Thorns (Ecce Homo), and the Mourning Virgin

Artist: Adriaen Isenbrant (Netherlandish, active by 1510–died 1551 Bruges)

Date: ca. 1530–40

Medium: Oil on canvas, transferred from wood

Dimensions: 41 1/2 x 36 1/2 in. (105.4 x 92.7 cm)

Classification: Paintings

Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1904

Accession Number: 04.32


In this austere and haunting image, Christ is depicted in the form of an Ecce Homo—presented to the people of Jerusalem by Pilate, the Roman prefect of Jerusalem, prior to being led off to be crucified. He wears a crown of thorns and on his exposed torso bears the wounds from his flagellation. The hostile crowd, however, is omitted. Seen up close, in half-length and nearly lifesize, Christ and his mother have been isolated for devotional contemplation. They are presented directly to the viewer, who becomes Christ's judge as well as a participant in the Virgin's grief.


Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436721