Christ at the column

This lifesize depiction of Christ at the column is one of earliest works by Jan Lievens, described in 1641 by the Leiden chronicler Jan Orlers as a wunderkind. Rembrandt and Lievens were close friends in the years 1624/2531 before Rembrandt moved to Amsterdam and Lievens departed for England and they competed with one another in their striving for stylistic and technical innovation. The picture was executed around 1625/27, at a time when Lievens' work served as a model for the less experienced Rembrandt and there was not yet any sign of influence in the opposite direction.