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Head of Christ (Ecce Homo)

Petrus Christus Netherlandish
ca. 1445
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 635

This intimate image of Christ’s head, intended for private devotion, derives from a lost picture of the Holy Face by Jan van Eyck, now known only through copies. Following the Eyckian composition, Petrus Christus treated the head like a portrait by surrounding it with a fictive frame, thereby underscoring the physical immediacy of Christ. His depiction differs from the prototype, however, in presenting Christ with furrowed brow, the crown of thorns, and drops of blood running down his forehead and onto his chest.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Head of Christ (Ecce Homo)
  • Artist: Petrus Christus (Netherlandish, Baarle-Hertog (Baerle-Duc), active by 1444–died 1475/76 Bruges)
  • Date: ca. 1445
  • Medium: Oil on parchment, laid down on wood
  • Dimensions: Overall 5 7/8 x 4 1/4 in. (14.9 x 10.8 cm); parchment 5 3/4 x 4 1/8 in. (14.6 x 10.5 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Lillian S. Timken, 1959
  • Object Number: 60.71.1
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
Portrait of a Carthusian, Petrus Christus Netherlandish, Oil on oak
Portrait of a Carthusian
Petrus Christus
1446
Mary Magdalene at the Foot of the Cross, Master of Rimini, Alabaster, South Netherlandish
Mary Magdalene at the Foot of the Cross
Follower of the Master of Rimini
ca. 1420–30
Portrait of a Man in Royal Livery, Hans Holbein the Younger German, Oil and gold on parchment, laid down on linden
Portrait of a Man in Royal Livery
Hans Holbein the Younger
1532–35
The Crucifixion, Pietro Lorenzetti Italian, Tempera and gold leaf on wood
The Crucifixion
Pietro Lorenzetti
1340s
A Goldsmith in his Shop, Petrus Christus Netherlandish, Oil on oak panel
A Goldsmith in his Shop
Petrus Christus
1449

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