Man of Sorrows 1636

Grégoire Huret made this engraving, "Man of Sorrows," in France, sometime in the mid-17th century. The image depicts a muscular, semi-nude Christ, bound at the wrists. Huret was an artist working during the Baroque era in France. France at this time was a deeply Catholic nation. Images of Christ were very popular, as they were seen to be tools for communicating the stories and ideals of the Catholic Church. This image seems to focus on the suffering of Christ, hence the title "Man of Sorrows," and may reflect the political, social, and religious turmoil that shaped artistic production. The engraving medium allowed Huret to make multiple copies of this image, thereby circulating it widely. Engravings were relatively inexpensive. Art historians examine primary source material to understand such images and their meanings, and how they operated in the world. Doing so helps us to understand the role of art and the social and institutional contexts of its creation.