Lot Essay
After winning the medaille d'honneur at the Salon in 1878, Munkácsy turned to religious subjects which he exhibited in his own studio.
Our picture shows the pharisee from a work generally accepted as one of the artist's most important works: Christ before Pilate. This picture, which was possibly commissioned by his patron Sedelmeyer on behalf of one of his clients, is now in the Hungarian National Gallery in Budapest. Christ before Pilate was painted in 1880-1881 and it is likely that our work was painted in the same period. Pharisaer is possibly a self-portrait of the artist and although it is similar to the figure in his famous tableau vivant it is a finished picture in it's own right.
Our picture shows the pharisee from a work generally accepted as one of the artist's most important works: Christ before Pilate. This picture, which was possibly commissioned by his patron Sedelmeyer on behalf of one of his clients, is now in the Hungarian National Gallery in Budapest. Christ before Pilate was painted in 1880-1881 and it is likely that our work was painted in the same period. Pharisaer is possibly a self-portrait of the artist and although it is similar to the figure in his famous tableau vivant it is a finished picture in it's own right.