01 Painting, RELIGIOUS ART - Valentin de Boulogne's Christ crowned with thorns, with footnotes #191

Valentin de Boulogne, Coulommiers 1591 - 1632 Rome

Crowning with Thorns

Oil on canvas

58 5/8 × 41 7/8 in. (148.9 × 106.4 cm)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Valentin focuses the scene on the interplay of the three figures, all done dal naturale, or from life. The compact drama transpires along a sweeping diagonal, accentuating the image’s theatrical tension. At left, an elaborately dressed young soldier kneels before Christ. Mere inches separate their faces, which are almost a study in opposites. The youth’s profile, silhouetted in shadow, is defined by his open mouth, from which one can imagine him shouting invectives. Conversely, Christ, with knitted brow, looks skyward as a warm light appears to offer the promise of deliverance. At upper right, a ruddy-faced man forces the crown of thorns upon Christ’s head while looking directly at the spectators, a pictorial device that both implicates and involves them in the violent act. More on this painting

Valentin de Boulogne (before 3 January 1591 – 19 August 1632), sometimes referred to as Le Valentin, was a French painter in the tenebrist style. Though little is known of Valentin de Boulogne’s early life, he is considered one of most devoted French followers of Caravaggio. De Boulogne joined a society of foreign artists while in Rome known as Bentvueghels, or “Birds of a Feather.” He also had a close working relationship with Nicolas Poussin, with whom he was frequently compared. Though de Boulogne painted biblical scenes, allegorical images, and portraits, he is best remembered for his genre scenes of merrymaking characters enjoying music, drinks, and games in taverns. These were in part inspired by Bartolomeo Manfredi’s genre paintings, and rendered with Caravaggesque chiaroscuro. Anecdotes report that de Boulogne passed away at his early age after contracting a fever after a night carousing at a tavern. More on Valentin de Boulogne

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