Ecce Homo 1627 - 1678

Curator: This engraving, dating sometime between 1627 and 1678, presents us with Jan Thomas's *Ecce Homo*, currently residing at the Rijksmuseum. It exemplifies Baroque portraiture rendered in the intricate medium of printmaking. Editor: Gosh, he really looks like he's having a day. I mean, the way his eyes are kind of glazed over, like he's just seen the world's worst PowerPoint presentation...and the crown of thorns certainly does nothing to improve things. The image is heavy, sorrowful, almost palpable in its feeling. Curator: Note how the artist utilizes line weight and density to suggest depth and form. The dramatic chiaroscuro—the interplay between light and shadow—accentuates the subject's suffering, and the halo is rendered with an almost jarringly modern flatness. The portrait embodies Baroque sensibilities. Editor: Flat halo aside, there’s such raw emotion etched—no pun intended—into every line of his face. You know, I always wonder what he’s thinking at this exact moment. Is it pain? Resignation? Or is there maybe, just maybe, a flicker of defiance? Curator: The engraving also includes inscribed Latin text below the image, enriching its symbolic context. We read "Ecce Homo: Spinca, Christe, suam lacerat pungitque corona Frontem; fac pungai, cor lacereïque meum." Editor: It does bring to mind questions surrounding sacrifice and martyrdom, for sure. Jan Thomas seems to be forcing us, quite dramatically I'd say, to reckon with the consequences and weight of conviction, don't you think? It's a bit heavy for lunchtime contemplation. Curator: Precisely. And that very imposition, its challenge to our emotional and intellectual equilibrium, lies at the heart of its enduring power. Jan Thomas presents viewers with the question of morality. Editor: Yes, a masterclass in the pathos of printmaking, or a darkly humorous commentary on halos and hair care… Perhaps both? I feel uplifted in ways.