Ecce Homo - A Genre of Devotional Art Inspired by Thomas à Kempis’ Imitation of Christ

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Ecce Homo - A Genre of Devotional Art Inspired by Thomas à Kempis’ Imitation of Christ



A painting from the House of Leiden Collection, Leiden, Holland

Albrecht Bouts (Leuven 1451/55 – 1549 Leuven), and studio

‘Behold the Man’, c. 1500
(Oil on panel 41.8 x 27.1 cm’)

David Clayton, NLM | February 25, 2025

Jesus then came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said, “Here is the man” - John 19, 5

This painting of Christ’s Passion relates to the quoted verse of John’s Gospel. Pontius Pilate has presented the brutally scourged Christ to the crowd with the Latin words, “Ecce Homo”, translated as “Here is the Man” or “Behold the Man.”

We see the crown of thorns, which pierces Christ’s flesh brutally, drawing blood, the “purple” robe, and the reed sceptre He holds in His right hand. These were intended as symbols of mockery, but point to the fact that the one mocked as a false king is, in truth, the King of Kings. Purple was the colour of royalty in the Roman society of the time, however, the artist here has shown the robe as red, not purple, indicating that it is drenched in the blood of the Saviour. Christ’s facial expression is one of extreme fatigue, communicated by His pallor and drooping lids. Blood and tears run down His face, indicating both physical and spiritual suffering. [...]

The desire to convey emotion in art is facilitated by greater naturalism in the subject’s rendition and the chosen medium. Oil paint allows for a greater degree of naturalism because of the ease with which colours and tones can be blended smoothly. Other media, such as egg tempera, which would have been a common choice 100 years earlier, tend to produce flat, highly stylised paintings. This stylized rendition can be desirable, too, incidentally, for other reasons, and egg tempera is still the medium of Byzantine iconography.

We see the artist making use of the properties of oil paint in the murky, oily black background, using multiple thin glazes of paint, which contrasts with the light tone of Christ's skin, perhaps alluding to the spiritual darkness that surrounds this moment and the infinite depths of evil he will soon confront in his descent into Hades. [...]

The following words are taken from The Imitation of Christ, a devotional book of spiritual exercises commonly believed to reflect the spirituality of the Devotio Moderna. It was written in the 15th century and is attributed to a German priest, Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471). It immediately became a bestseller and is still published and read widely today.

In Book 2, Chapter 2, on humility, Thomas explains how we can experience joy even in suffering. He says, “If you know how to suffer in silence, you will undoubtedly experience God’s help. He knows when and how to deliver you; therefore, place yourself in His hands, for it is a divine prerogative to help men and free them from all distress.”