Christus met doornen gekroond c. 1660

Moses ter Borch rendered this drawing of Christ crowned with thorns sometime in the mid-17th century. Observe how the crown of thorns, a symbol of humiliation and suffering, pierces Christ’s brow. The motif of the crown is not new; consider the laurel wreaths adorning triumphant figures in antiquity, symbols of glory and victory. Yet here, the crown is inverted, twisted into an instrument of torture. This echoes the symbolism of the "Ecce Homo" – behold the man – a theme seen throughout art history, from the Byzantine era to the Renaissance. In each iteration, the suffering of Christ is not merely depicted but internalized. The torturers become everyman figures, their casual cruelty inviting reflection on humanity's capacity for inflicting pain. The image serves as a mirror, reflecting our own potential for barbarity. The motif resurfaces through the ages, each time probing the depths of human nature, forcing us to confront our darker impulses, and questioning the cyclical progression of suffering and redemption in our shared cultural memory.