Collections: European Art: The False Witnesses (Les faux témoins)

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The False Witnesses (Les faux témoins)

• Portfolio/Series: The Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ (La Vie de Notre-Seigneur Jésus-Christ)

Brought before a tribunal presided over by the chief priest Caiaphas, Jesus, bound in chains but standing with dignified calm, hears many give testimony against him, though none can agree on a charge or crime, much to the frustration of the priests.

Tissot visually conveys the accumulation of these accusations by filling the gallery at left with a frenzied crowd, each person raising his hand to be heard by the judges, who occupy an unseen but elevated dais at the top of the stairs to the right.


• Artist: James Tissot, French, 1836-1902
• Medium: Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper
• Place Made: France
• Dates: 1886-1894
• Dimensions: Image: 8 x 11 13/16 in. (20.3 x 30 cm) Sheet: 8 x 11 13/16 in. (20.3 x 30 cm)
• Signature: Signed lower right: "J.J. Tissot"
• Collections: European Art
• Museum Location: This item is on view in Robert E. Blum Gallery, 1st Floor
• Accession Number: 00.159.244
• Credit Line: Purchased by public subscription
• Image: Overall, 00.159.244_PS2.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2007
James Tissot (French, 1836-1902). The False Witnesses (Les faux témoins), 1886-1894. Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper, Image: 8 x 11 13/16 in. (20.3 x 30 cm) Sheet: 8 x 11 13/16 in. (20.3 x 30 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchased by public subscription, 00.159.244 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 00.159.244_PS2.jpg)