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The Chief Priests Take Counsel Together (Les princes des prêtres se consultent)

James Tissot

European Art

Following Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the chief priests and scribes meet to discuss their response to the challenge of his increasing popularity: they resolve to find a way to destroy him.

Once more, Tissot focuses on the costumes of the priests, with their elaborately woven and draped textiles (fringed with fur, in the case of the white-bearded priest at center), and the lavish building materials of the Temple complex, with its marble columns topped with carved capitals. The luxuriousness of their attire—and of the Temple itself—stands in marked contrast to Jesus and his followers, who celebrate the meek and the powerless.
MEDIUM Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper
  • Place Made: France
  • DATES 1886-1894
    DIMENSIONS Image: 7 1/8 x 10 5/16 in. (18.1 x 26.2 cm) Sheet: 7 1/8 x 10 5/16 in. (18.1 x 26.2 cm) Frame: 15 x 20 x 1 1/2 in. (38.1 x 50.8 x 3.8 cm)  (show scale)
    SIGNATURE Signed bottom right: "J.J. Tissot"
    COLLECTIONS European Art
    ACCESSION NUMBER 00.159.196
    CREDIT LINE Purchased by public subscription
    PROVENANCE 1900, purchased from the artist by the Brooklyn Museum.
    Provenance FAQ
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION James Tissot (Nantes, France, 1836–1902, Chenecey-Buillon, France). The Chief Priests Take Counsel Together (Les princes des prêtres se consultent), 1886-1894. Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper, Image: 7 1/8 x 10 5/16 in. (18.1 x 26.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchased by public subscription, 00.159.196 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 00.159.196_PS2.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, 00.159.196_PS2.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2007
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