Rejsedagbog. Milano 1846

This page of Johan Thomas Lundbye’s travel journal, created in Milan, is filled with text referencing religious artworks he saw during his travels. Lundbye writes about a ‘Christus som tolvaarig Barn,’ or ‘Christ as a twelve-year-old child.’ This image of a young Christ is a recurring motif throughout Christian art history. We see it in medieval altarpieces, Renaissance frescoes, and even in contemporary art, each time imbued with the cultural and emotional sensibilities of its era. The pathos formula is a deep-seated memory of innocence and potential, and the image often triggers feelings of tenderness and hope in the viewer. Lundbye then writes 'Ecce homo,' or ‘behold the man,’ a reference to Pontius Pilate's presentation of Christ before his crucifixion. This phrase, encapsulates centuries of theological and artistic interpretation. It has resurfaced, evolved, and taken on new meanings in different historical contexts, often reflecting the cyclical progression of human suffering and redemption.