Ecce Homo - Bilbao Fine Arts Museum

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Ecce Homo

Mengs, Anton Raphael

Aussig, Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic, 12/03/1728-Rome, 29/06/1779

Oil on walnut panel

56.8 x 43.6 cm

c. 1777-1779

Last quarter of the 18th century

00/12

Acquired in 2000

"Ecce Homo" (Behold the man) were the words Pilate addressed to the Jews after Christ had been whipped by the soldiers. In this work Mengs depicts Jesus shortly after having been proclaimed the King of the Jews, wearing the crown of thorns and carrying a rod as a sceptre. The blood that is beginning to dry on his right shoulder reveals the marks of the whiplashes, although the artist has preferred to focus on the psychological condition of Christ rather than on the dramatic quality of the scene. Tired and humiliated, the figure shows signs of deep suffering. Conceived as a pious image, this picture invites pity by presenting Jesus Christ as a human being, despite the characteristic idealised distance of Neoclassicism.

A meticulous painter, Mengs admired the oeuvre of 16th-century Italian artists such as Raphael and Correggio, whom he considered to be models of perfection both as regards composition and style. Emulating their masterpieces, Mengs sought to create perfect images. The delicate glazes applied to the red cloth and the short compact brushstrokes that create a perfectly flat surface make this painting a fine example of the impeccable finish that characterised his works.

Mengs was born in Aussig, a Bohemian town now belonging to the Czech Republic. He began his artistic career at the age of sixteen, producing portraits in pastels for the king of Saxony. He subsequently travelled to Rome, where he spent a number of years working for the papacy and for private patrons. Mengs reached the peak of his career in 1761, when he was named first painter of court of Charles III of Spain. He probably depicted this Ecce Homo towards the end of his life, after returning to Rome in 1777. (Xavier Bray)

Selected bibliography

  • Roettgen, Steffi. Anton Raphael Mengs, 1728-1779. München, Hirmer, 2003. pp. 624-625.
  • Old Master Pictures . London, Christie's, 15 December 2000. p. 20, lote 25. (Con el título Christ as the Man of Sorrows, y atribuido al Círculo de Carlo Dolci)
  • Zugaza, Miguel ... [et al.]. Maestros antiguos y modernos en las colecciones del Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao. Bilbao, Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2001. p. 70.
  • Bray, Xavier. "Two rediscovered ”Ecce Homos” by Anton Rafael Mengs in Basque museums", The Burlington Magazine, n° 147. 2005. pp. 331-334.
  • Musée des Beaux Arts de Bilbao : guide. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2006. p. 85.
  • Bilbao Fine Arts Museum : guide. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2006. p. 85.
  • Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao : guía. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2006. p. 85, n° cat. 59.
  • Bustreo, Federica. Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bilbao : maîtres anciens et première moitié du XX siècle. Florencia, Scala Group, 2011. pp. 74-75.
  • Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa : gida. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2012. p. 85, n° cat. 59.
  • Musée des Beaux Arts de Bilbao : guide. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2014. p. 85.
  • Bilbao Fine Arts Museum : guide. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2014. p. 85.
  • 110 Años 110 Obras [Cat. exp.]. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2018. pp. 136-137, sin n° cat.
  • 110 Ans 110 Oeuvres [Cat. exp.]. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2018. pp. 136-137, sin n° cat.
  • 110 Urte 110 Artelan [Cat. exp.]. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2018. pp. 136-137, sin n° cat.
  • 110 Years 110 Works [Cat. exp.]. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2018. pp. 136-137, sin n° cat.
  • Bilboko Museoaren alfabetoa = El alfabeto del Museo de Bilbao = The alphabet of the Bilbao Museum = L'alphabet du Musée de Bilbao [Cat. exp.]. Bilbao, Bilboko Arte Ederren Museoa-Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, 2018. pp. 244-245, n° cat. 138.