The Mocking of Christ
Artist: Gustave Doré (French, 1832-1883)
Unknown Role: René Gimpel
Date: about 1872-1883
Dimensions:
H: 48 3/4 in. (123.8 cm); W: 38 5/8 in. (98.1 cm)
Medium: Oil on canvas
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Gift of René Gimpel
Object number: 1926.146
Label Text:A haunting image of humility and suffering, The Mocking of Christ depicts Jesus half-submerged in shadows as he sits with head bowed, quietly enduring the taunts and abuses of his three captors on the eve of his crucifixion. Doré heightens the drama and tension by contrasting the calm, unresisting stillness of Christ at the center of the composition with the animated and aggressive jailers. A crown of thorns (a mockery of the claim that Jesus was “King of the Jews”) rests on Christ’s head, causing blood to trickle down his temple.
Doré was known as the “Preacher Painter” for the series of dramatic paintings of the life of Jesus he created in the 1870s, of which The Mocking of Christ is a compelling example.
Doré was known as the “Preacher Painter” for the series of dramatic paintings of the life of Jesus he created in the 1870s, of which The Mocking of Christ is a compelling example.
Not on view
In Collection(s)