Ecce Homo c. 1660 - 1700

François Du Quesnoy sculpted this bronze Ecce Homo in the seventeenth century. The statue shows us Christ after his trial, bound and crowned with thorns, as presented by Pontius Pilate to a crowd baying for his blood. Du Quesnoy was from Brussels but spent his career in Rome where he became one of the leading sculptors of the Roman Baroque. ‘Ecce Homo’ – ‘behold the man’ – became a popular subject for art in the Catholic countries of Europe during the Counter-Reformation. The image invited an emotional response from viewers, encouraging them to identify with Christ’s suffering as well as to reflect on their own sinfulness. The figure of Christ also served as a potent symbol of Christian authority and martyrdom at a time when the established church felt itself to be under threat. Art historians can research the political and religious environment in which such artworks were made, using contemporary sources such as theological treatises, personal letters, and institutional records. This reminds us that the work of art is always a product of its time.