Bespotting 1568 - 1618

Alexandre Vallée created the engraving 'Bespotting' at the turn of the 17th century. Vallée was working in an era marked by intense religious conflict and the rise of print culture, which disseminated images widely across Europe. This print depicts a scene from the Passion of Christ, focusing on the mocking of Jesus by Roman soldiers. Stripped bare, with a crown of thorns, Jesus is presented as vulnerable. The jeering crowd embodies the themes of power and authority. The image isn't just a retelling of religious text, it reveals anxieties around faith, power, and social order. Consider how Vallée uses the print medium to translate the emotional intensity of the scene. What does it mean to make something so visceral into something reproducible? In a time of religious upheaval, this image invited viewers to reflect on their beliefs, question authority, and perhaps find solace in the narrative of suffering and redemption.