Lot number 3562 - Auction 155
CHRISTUS ALS SCHMERZENSMANN (ECCE HOMO), 1760-1780

JOHANN RASSO JANUARIUS ZICK February 6, 1730 Munich - November 14, 1797 Ehrenbreitstein CHRIST AS THE MAN OF SORROWS (ECCE HOMO) Oil on canvas (doubled). 29.5 x 21.5 cm (F. 40 x 33 cm). Verso: Typewritten report by Alfred Stange, dated Bonn, November 25, 1959. Partially restored frame. Half-length depiction of Christ with a crown of thorns, his head tilted slightly to the right and his gaze turned upward in pain. His chest is bare, a rope and a chain are around his neck, and his right shoulder is covered by a purple cloak. Christ holds a reed in his bound hands. Drops of blood on his forehead, neck, and chest underscore the suffering nature of the depiction. The painting is rendered in a cool, silver-gray overall tone, into which sparingly placed brownish-purple and reddish accents are integrated. The thin, delicate painting style with finely graded highlights and sensitive shading is characteristic of Januarius Zick in his mature creative phase. The psychological penetration of the expression, combined with a highly painterly treatment of the flesh tones, lends the depiction a quiet, haunting inwardness. The work is documented in Josef Straßer's catalogue raisonné (G 110) and listed there as an independent version of an Ecce Homo. Straßer describes the depiction in detail and convincingly classifies it as belonging to Zick's mature period between 1760 and 1780. As a comparison, he refers to a smaller repetition by another artist (G 111). On the reverse is a typewritten expert opinion by Alfred Stange, dated Bonn, November 25, 1959, signed by hand. After thorough examination, Stange confirms the authenticity of the depiction as an original work by Januarius Zick and particularly emphasizes the "sensitive, highly picturesque and at the same time sensitively animated painting." He dates the work to around 1760-1770 and describes it as a characteristic example of Zick's art from his mature phase. Literature: Straßer, Josef: Januarius Zick 1730-1797, Paintings, Prints, Frescoes, Weißenhorn, 1994, p. 310, G110. Provenance: Private collection, Hesse. Art dealer, Munich. Neumeister Auctions, Munich, catalog 218, auction of October 19-20, 1983, no. 573 with ill. Lobberich, Kahrmann Collection.