Ecce Homo (one of a pair)

Hirschvogel Workshop|Sebald Beham

ca. 1525 · Colorless and pot-metal glass with vitreous paint · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

As the Roman governor Pontius Pilate led Christ before a crowd of hostile onlookers, he demanded that they “behold the man,” or ecce homo, before he was crucified. The vibrant red and green used in this composition were created by adding metallic oxides to molten glass, which was later fused in thin layers to the transparent base glass and etched with acid to create detail. Other parts of the image, like the fabric folds and faces, were applied with black or brown vitreous paint.

Artist

Hirschvogel Workshop|Sebald Beham

Date

ca. 1525

Medium

Colorless and pot-metal glass with vitreous paint

Culture

German, Nuremberg

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1911