Jesus Mocked by the Soldiers
Édouard Manet (French, 1832–1883)1865
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Materials & printing
Archival matte paper, 189 g/m² (10.3 mil), sourced from Japan, printed with multicolor water-based inkjet so every brushstroke stays crisp. Framed prints arrive ready to hang in a .75″ ayous-wood frame with an acrylite front. Sized to standard frames by cropping, never stretching — at most about 3% comes off one edge, which isn’t noticeable on most pieces, and we only offer a size when it stays that small.
Shipping & returns
Made to order and delivered in 5–8 business days (2–4 to print, 3–4 in transit). US shipping only for now. Because each print is made for your order, all sales are final — but if it arrives damaged or defective, send us a photo within 14 days and we’ll replace it free. Full policy.
Why is it this affordable?
A thin, flat margin on every piece — just enough to keep the store running. Most of what you pay is the print itself. We only sell sizes that reproduce at full quality, and we don’t mark up the large sizes the way most shops do.
About this work
Throughout his career Édouard Manet managed to shock and confound the public with his bold technique and unorthodox approach to subject matter. The most startling feature of this painting is that he painted it at all. Following the advent of the Realist movement, which grounded art in the here and now, avant-garde artists in France did not pursue religious themes. While Manet was primarily a painter of secular subjects, he was also interested in art history, which led him on at least two occasions to depict the biblical narratives that had compelled artists for many centuries. This work might also have been inspired by the popular 1863 biography Vie de Jésus (Life of Jesus) by the French philosopher and historian Joseph-Ernest Renan, a controversial work that emphasized Christ’s humanity.
Here, Manet depicted Jesus at the end of his life, beaten and awaiting crucifixion. The Roman soldiers force him to don a crown of thorns and proffer a reed “scepter” and purple cloak, all intended to ridicule him as “King of the Jews,” a title bestowed ironically by his tormenters. Manet transformed this sacred narrative into a gritty drama that marries realism with theatricality. He presented Jesus frontally, emphasizing his vulnerability and human physicality. Jesus seems exhausted and limp. The canvas’s visible brushstrokes and color palette create a sense of materiality that further evokes a palpable, unidealized Christ, who notably lacks a halo. Is he a holy being emanating divine light or a real man posing under a studio spotlight? The painting caused a scandal in its own time for precisely this ambiguity.
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 190.8 × 148.3 cm (74 7/8 × 58 3/8 in.)
Museum record · 1 owner · 12 exhibitions
Provenance
- Estate of the artist, Paris, 1883; by descent to Léon Leenhoff, Paris, 1883; sold to Boussod et Valadon, Paris, May 31, 1893, for 3,500 francs; sold to Jean-Baptiste Faure (d. 1914), Paris, April 14, 1894, for 8,000 francs; partially sold to Durand-Ruel, Paris, April 17, 1894; partially transferred from Durand-Ruel, Paris, to Durand-Ruel, New York, October 23, 1911; sold to James Deering (d. 1925), Chicago, October 23, 1911, for $44,000; bequeathed to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1925.
Exhibitions
- Paris, Salon, 1865 Paris, Pavillon de l’Alma, Manet Exposition Particuliére, 1867.
- New York, Durand-Ruel Galleries, Exposition of Paintings by Edouard Manet, March 1895.
- New York, Albright Art Gallery, French Impressionists Exhibition, 1907.
- The Art Institute of Chicago, A Century of Progress Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture, 1933.
- The Art Institute of Chicago, A Century of Progress Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture, 1934.
- Philadelphia Museum of Art, Manet and Renoir, November 1933–January 1934.
- Baltimore Museum of Art, A Survey of French Painting, November 23, 1934–January 1, 1935.
- Philadelphia Museum of Art, Manet, November 3-December 11, 1966, traveled to The Art Institute of Chicago, January 13-Februry 19, 1967.
- Paris, Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Manet: 1832–1883, April 22–August 1, 1983; traveled to New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, September 10–November 27, 1983.
- Tokyo, Isetan Museum of Art, Edouard Manet, June 26-July 29, 1986; traveled to Fukuoka Art Museum, August 2-31, 1986 and Osaka Municipal Museum of Art, September 9-October 12, 1986.
- Madrid, Museo National del Prado, Manet en el Prado, October 14, 2003-January 11, 2004.
- Venice, Palazzo Ducale, Manet (1832–1883) and Venice, April 24 – August 18, 2013.
