Image
Wilhelm Traut, block carver
Description
Maker
- Wilhelm Traut, fl. 1636-1664, German, block carver
- After Lucas Kilian, 1579-1637, German, designer
Title
Year
Medium
Materials/Techniques
-
Materials
Supports
Dimensions
-
Image: 31.1 x 20.2 cm (12 1/4 x 7 15/16 inches)
Signature / Inscription / Marks
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Lettered within image LL: "L. K. f." and LR: "W. T." followed by cutter's knife. Lettered below image: "Ecce Homo."
Type
Credit
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Mary B. Jackson Fund
Object Number
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47.061
About
A man with bulging muscles wields a birch rod while holding down the head of a prisoner who, bound to a column, is forced into a contorted position. The two figures occupy almost the entire sheet, pushing uncomfortably against the edges of the print to emphasize the sense of painful entrapment. This graphically bold devotional image depicts Jesus’s suffering after his arrest. A highly original composition—Jesus is bent to the ground instead of standing in front of a crowd—this work uses unrealistic proportions to heighten its emotional impact. Its interest in drama and depiction of bodies in complicated poses aligns this design with the earlier work of Dutch Mannerist artists, whose influence can also be seen in Giambologna’s river god, exhibited nearby.
Lettered within image LL: "L. K. f." and LR: "W. T." followed by cutter's knife. Lettered below image: "Ecce Homo."