After Guido Reni, 'Head of Christ Crowned with Thorns', 1640-1749
About the work
Overview
A crown of thorns was placed on Christ’s head in the lead up to his crucifixion, while Roman soldiers mockingly declared him ‘King of the Jews’ (Matthew 27: 29). This detailed portrayal of Christ’s face convincingly conveys his anguish in the aftermath of this torment. Guido Reni and his studio produced numerous versions of this composition, though this work may have been painted by a later follower of Reni, perhaps as late as the early eighteenth century.
The Head of Christ or Ecce Homo is one of the most frequently represented subjects in seventeenth-century painting. Following the Counter-Reformation (the self-imposed disciplining of the Catholic Church to ‘counter’ the successes of the Protestant Reformation), portrayals of Christ’s suffering became increasingly popular, as such images provoked empathy and devotion in viewers. One of the functions of seventeenth-century art was to instil an understanding of human experience, and Reni’s expressive, close-up images of the suffering Christ did just that.Counter-Reformation
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Head of Christ Crowned with Thorns
- Artist
- After Guido Reni
- Artist dates
- 1575 - 1642
- Date made
- 1640-1749
- Medium and support
- oil on wood
- Dimensions
- 56 × 42.8 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Bequeathed by Samuel Rogers, 1855
- Inventory number
- NG271
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
Provenance
In the collection of Cardinal Valenti, Rome, and recorded there in 1749 by a painting of Panini’s; Cardinal Valenti sale, Amsterdam, 18 May 1763 (lot 31), bought by Fouquet. In the collection of Benjamin West apparently by 1787; lent in 1816 by West to the R.A. for copying and to the British Institution (no. 55). In the Benjamin West sale, London, 24 June 1820 (lot 83), bought by Samuel Rogers; lent by him to the British Institution, 1835, (no. 18). Bequeathed by Samuel Rogers, 1855.
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Michael Levey, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Italian Schools’, London 1986; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
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1763A. Dankmeyer, Catalogus van de schilderyen: Uit de vermaarde galerye van wylen zyn Eminentie de Cardinael Valenti, Amsterdam, 18 May 1763
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1816R. Smirke, A Catalogue Raisonné of the Pictures Now Exhibiting in Pall Mall, London 1816
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1816British Institution, Catalogue of Pictures of the Italian and Spanish Schools with which the Proprietors have Favoured the British Institution (exh. cat. British Institution, 1816), London 1816
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1820Christie, Manson & Woods, A Catalogue of the Truly Capital Collection of Italian, French, Flemish and Dutch Pictures Which Were Selected from Various Distinguished Cabinets… by Benjamin West, Esq. P. R. A., Deceased, London, 24 June 1820
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1824W. Buchanan, Memoirs of Painting: With a Chronological History of the Importation of Pictures by the Great Masters into England Since the French Revolution, London 1824
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1835British Institution, Catalogue of Pictures by Italian, Spanish, Flemish, Dutch, and French Masters, with which the Proprietors have Favoured the Institution: May 1835, London 1835
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1844A.M. Jameson, Companion to the Most Celebrated Private Galleries of Art in London: Containing Accurate Catalogues, Arranged Alphabetically, for Immediate Reference, Each Preceded by an Historical & Critical Introduction […], London 1844
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1856R.N. Wornum, Descriptive and Historical Catalogue of the Pictures in the National Gallery With Biographical Notes of the Painters, 16th edn, London 1856
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1857G.F. Waagen, Treasures of Art in Great Britain: Being and Account of the Chief Collections of Paintings, Drawings, Sculptures, Illuminated Mss. […], translated from German by Elizabeth Eastlake, 3 vols, London 1857, vol. 3
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1867A.A. Lavice, Revue des musées d'Angleterre, Paris 1867
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1878H. Blackburn, Illustrated Catalogue to the National Gallery: Foreign Schools, London 1878
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1888E.T. Cook, A Popular Handbook to the National Gallery Including, by Special Permission, Notes Collected from the Works of Mr. Ruskin, London 1888
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1906Half Holidays at the National Gallery, 5th edn, London 1906
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1923C.J. Holmes, Old Masters and Modern Art: The National Gallery, Italian Schools, London 1923
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1928W.T. Whitley, Art in England 1800-1820, Cambridge 1928
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1929National Gallery, National Gallery, Trafalgar Square: Catalogue, 86th edn, London 1929
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1930T. Cox, The National Gallery: A Room to Room Guide, London 1930
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1937O. Kurz, 'Guido Reni', Jahrbuch der Kunsthistorischen Sammlungen in Wien, II, 1937, pp. 189-220
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1951H. Olsen, 'Et malet galleri af Pannini: Kardinal Silvio Valenti Gonzagas Samling', Kunstmuts Årsskrift, XXXVIII, 1951, pp. 90-103
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1954G.C. Cavalli, Mostra di Guido Reni (exh. cat. Palazzo dell'Archiginnasio, 1 September - 31 October 1954), Bologna 1954
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1971E. Baccheschi, L'opera completa di Guido Reni, Milan 1971
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1971M. Levey, The Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Italian Schools, London 1971
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1978Heim Gallery, The Baroque in Italy, Paintings and Sculpture 1600-1720 (exh. cat. The Heim Gallery, 15 June - 25 August 1978), London 1978
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1982H. Brigstocke and W. Buchanan, William Buchanan and the 19th Century Art Trade: 100 Letters to his Agents in London and Italy, London 1982
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1984D.S. Pepper, Guido Reni: A Complete Catalogue of His Works, Oxford 1984
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1985National Gallery, 'Pictures Cleaned and Restored in the Conservation Department of the National Gallery, January 1984 - December 1984', National Gallery Technical Bulletin, IX, 1985
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1986Levey, Michael, National Gallery Catalogues: The Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Italian Schools, London 1986
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1986M. Helston, 'Some Recently Cleaned Seicento Paintings at the National Gallery', The Burlington Magazine, CXXVIII/996, 1986, pp. 209-17
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1988D.S. Pepper, Guido Reni: L'opera completa, Novara 1988
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2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.
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