Christ Wearing the Crown of Thorns

The painting, held in high esteem by the King of Prussia, Frederic II the Great, was created in Nuremburg where the artist was probably engaged in the studio of Albrecht Dürer. The painter avoided any drastic elements in this depiction, and instead concentrated on using sophisticated colours of Mannerism and the unusual twist of Christ’s torso. For contemporary observers, this unique image was a nouvelle and daring solution to such a degree that the artist was expelled from Nuremburg for blasphemy. Pencz managed to return there about a year later, and in 1532 became the town’s official painter.