Ecce Homo (one of a pair) 1520 - 1530

This is a stained-glass roundel of "Ecce Homo" by Sebald Beham, dating back to the 16th century. The circular format, with its concentric rings of figures and text, immediately draws the eye into its core, while the bright colours evoke a sense of solemnity. Beham employs the roundel to convey an image from the Passion of Christ. The composition uses the constraints of its form to create a narrative space, organizing figures around the scene of Pontius Pilate presenting Christ to the crowd. This design emphasizes a dialectic between interior and exterior, sacred and secular, which destabilizes established meanings through its structural arrangement. The texture of the glass manipulates light and shadow, adding depth to the composition. Through these formal elements, the artist constructs not just an image, but a meditation on power, judgment, and sacrifice. This exemplifies how the aesthetic form is intrinsically linked to the subject's deeper philosophical concerns.