Collection

Pilate Washes His Hands (Pilate se lave les mains)

James Tissot

1 of 2

Object Label

Exclaiming “Behold the man!,” Pilate shows the beaten and bloodied Christ to the crowds. The people gathered in the court below urge his execution, with pointed fingers raised in accusatory gestures.

On the loggia before the assembled crowd, Pilate—convinced of Jesus’ innocence and impressed by his dignity, according to Tissot’s account—publicly washes his hands on the loggia before the square, symbolically distancing himself from the execution to follow.

Caption

James Tissot (Nantes, France, 1836–1902, Chenecey–Buillon, France). Pilate Washes His Hands (Pilate se lave les mains), 1886–1894. Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper, Image: 6 1/4 x 5 1/8 in. (15.9 x 13 cm) Sheet: 6 1/4 x 5 1/8 in. (15.9 x 13 cm) Frame: 20 x 15 x 1 1/2 in. (50.8 x 38.1 x 3.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchased by public subscription, 00.159.271. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Gallery

Not on view

Title

Pilate Washes His Hands (Pilate se lave les mains)

Date

1886–1894

Geography

Place made: France

Medium

Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper

Classification

Watercolor

Dimensions

Image: 6 1/4 x 5 1/8 in. (15.9 x 13 cm) Sheet: 6 1/4 x 5 1/8 in. (15.9 x 13 cm) Frame: 20 x 15 x 1 1/2 in. (50.8 x 38.1 x 3.8 cm)

Signatures

Signed top right: "J.J. Tissot"

Credit Line

Purchased by public subscription

Accession Number

00.159.271

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Artists and makers

James Tissot

524 works in the collection