Collections: European Art: My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Eli, Eli lama sabactani)

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My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Eli, Eli lama sabactani)

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

In the ninth hour of the Passion (three o’clock in the afternoon), Jesus “gives utterance to that cry of anguish, the most heartrending which ever resounded upon this earth,” Tissot writes. In his commentary, Tissot indicates that Christ’s words—the title of this work—are derived from the opening verse of the 22nd Psalm, a text that begins with a lamentation on God’s seeming absence or desertion.


• Artist: James Tissot, French, 1836-1902
• Medium: Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper
• Place Made: France
• Dates: 1886-1894
• Dimensions: Image: 11 1/2 x 8 13/16 in. (29.2 x 22.4 cm) Sheet: 11 1/2 x 8 13/16 in. (29.2 x 22.4 cm)
• Signature: Signed bottom right: "J.J. Tissot"
• Collections: European Art
• Museum Location: This item is on view in Robert E. Blum Gallery, 1st Floor
• Accession Number: 00.159.302
• Credit Line: Purchased by public subscription
• Image: Overall, 00.159.302_PS2.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2007
James Tissot (French, 1836-1902). My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Eli, Eli lama sabactani), 1886-1894. Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper, Image: 11 1/2 x 8 13/16 in. (29.2 x 22.4 cm) Sheet: 11 1/2 x 8 13/16 in. (29.2 x 22.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchased by public subscription, 00.159.302 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 00.159.302_PS2.jpg)