PROVENANCE: Earl of Mayo; David Koetser, New York; BJU, 1957.

The pupil and second son of the accomplished artist Dieric Bouts, Albrecht learned his father's meticulous style and probably borrowed many of his compositions from inherited drawings and cartoons. The artist's small private paintings were enormously popular with the people of Antwerp, and the large number of paintings like The Man of Sorrows that survive illustrate that he and his workshop were capable of meeting the large demand.

The style and type of Christ as the "Man of Sorrows," one of Bouts' most popular compositions, probably descends from Byzantine tradition, introduced into the Netherlands by Rogier van der Weyden. However, this particular variation seems to have been inspired by a lost original by the artist's father.

While the Italians loved to present an idealized Christ, early Flemish artists often stripped His image of any physical beauty. The crown presses upon the Savior's brow with such force that the thorns can be seen beneath the skin. The pale face is bruised, the beard plucked out in places, and tears flow from red-rimmed, weary eyes. As Isaiah prophesized, "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows.. He was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities (Isaiah 53:4-5).