Collections: European Art: Jesus Carried up to a Pinnacle of the Temple (Jésus porté sur le pinacle du Temple)

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Jesus Carried up to a Pinnacle of the Temple (Jésus porté sur le pinacle du Temple)

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

In the third temptation, the devil carries a passive Jesus up to a high pinnacle of the Temple, where he is challenged to jump and prove his protection by God’s angels. However, Jesus steadfastly retains his faith and refuses to test God.

This image demonstrates bravura watercolor technique, contrasting the transparency of the devil’s horned, clawed, and winged body with the solid masonry of the Temple. Moreover, as a matter of storytelling skill, note that this bird’s-eye view looks down on the very steps where the infant Jesus was first dedicated to the service of God, a scene depicted in The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple.

Following the third temptation, the devil leaves Jesus “for a season,” suggesting further tests to come.


• Artist: James Tissot, French, 1836-1902
• Medium: Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper
• Place Made: France
• Dates: 1886-1894
• Dimensions: Image: 8 3/4 x 6 1/4 in. (22.2 x 15.9 cm) Sheet: 8 3/4 x 6 1/4 in. (22.2 x 15.9 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: 00.159.52
• Credit Line: Purchased by public subscription
• Image: Overall, 00.159.52_PS1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2006
James Tissot (French, 1836-1902). Jesus Carried up to a Pinnacle of the Temple (Jésus porté sur le pinacle du Temple), 1886-1894. Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper, Image: 8 3/4 x 6 1/4 in. (22.2 x 15.9 cm) Sheet: 8 3/4 x 6 1/4 in. (22.2 x 15.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchased by public subscription, 00.159.52 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 00.159.52_PS1.jpg)