Ecce Homo

1650–1660

Medium

Brush and brown ink and brown wash, over black chalk with heightening in white opaque watercolor (gouache), on blue laid paper

Dimensions

50.2 × 30.5 cm

Status

In Museum Collection

Collect24 Art ID

C24-201339

In this dramatic biblical scene, the elegantly dressed Pontius Pilate presents the partially nude Jesus to a crowd gathered below. Holding the instruments of the crucifixion, the chaotic mob pushes for Jesus’s death sentence. The serene Jesus, shown with his bound hands and downcast head, appears resigned to his fate. Yet the bright halo emanating from his head marks his holy status. Tightly packed figures crammed into the immediate foreground heighten the sense of tension. Painted loosely with the brush, the brown washes are brightened by the white highlights. The generic faces, elongated bodies, dramatic gestures, and strong contrasts of light and dark are typical of Jan Boeckhorst’s late style. So too is the use of blue paper and loose application of the brush that may be reflective of the time he spent in Venice.