The Crown of Thorns
c. 1470. Oil on wood.
The Gospels tell the story of the Passion, the few final days of the Christ's life from the moment he entered Jerusalem to the moment of his death. The Roman Governor asked the Christ if he was the King of the Jews, to which the Christ replied "So you say." The enemies then laid the crown of thorns upon the Christ’s head, the thorns digging into his head and drawing blood. His blood fell to his earth. The enemies sought to mock Christ, to proclaim him gleefully and cruelly as the King of the Jews, to lower below earth his dignity before they raised above earth his body to kill (Farrar 383).
Artists have depicted, in large and small scale, the episode of the crown of thorns for centuries. Some, like Dürer, emphasized narrative (Farrar 383). Some, like Titian, emphasized violence (Farrar 383). Some, like Guercino, emphasized the nobility of the Christ in bearing this burden (Farrar 383).
But it is these artists’ predecessor, Antonello da Messina, who most effectively captured the Christ’s humanity - his eyes - his suffering.
Antonello’s Christ is not God above looking down. Rather, he shares in human suffering. He is “man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (“Christ Crowned with Thorns” n.p.). And he is one with whom the viewer can become acquainted, for this is a devotional image (“Christ Crowned with Thorns” n.p.).
Durer's version, a 1509 print lacking color, emphasizes the narrative of the Crown of Thorns, including historical figures and indicating in no special way the divine nature Christ himself.
Titian's version, an elaborate 1543 painting, emphasizes the violence, the torture, the overwhelming brutality of the episode.
Guercino's version, also a painting, circa 1622, depicts the Christ as visibly divine and more than simply human through dramatic lighting and noble posturing.