Franse school: 'Ecce homo' miniatuur, kleur en vergulding op perkament, 16de eeuw

Work: 37 x 29 cm
Frame: 54 x 43 cm

Provenance:
- A Belgian private collection.
- Auctions Van de Wiele, Bruges, 2009.

A finely executed devotional miniature, likely created in a French monastic workshop. Christ, bound and crowned with thorns, appears seated on an inscribed pedestal, his head encircled by a radiant nimbus. He is flanked by Saints Francis, Clare, Peter, and Stephen. In the foreground, a kneeling nun—possibly the commissioning patron—unfurls a scroll inscribed “O bon Jesus.” Symbols of mortality and the Passion, including skulls and the instruments of the Crucifixion, evoke the theme of Christ’s suffering. Distant city towers and a dramatic sky complete the background. The composition is framed by a border richly decorated with colourful flowers, grapevines, and strawberry plants on a shimmering gold ground.
Rendered in vivid, luminous colours, the miniature is preserved in exceptional condition.