Head of Christ, Claude Mellan

Artwork Overview

Head of Christ, Claude Mellan
Head of Christ, Claude Mellan
Claude Mellan
Head of Christ
1649
Claude Mellan, artist
1598–1688
Head of Christ, 1649
Where object was made: France
Material/technique: engraving
Dimensions:
Plate Mark/Block Dimensions (Height x Width): 432 x 318 mm
Plate Mark/Block Dimensions (Height x Width): 17 x 12 1/2 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 25 x 20 in
Credit line: Museum purchase
Accession number: 1960.0041
On display: Brosseau Learning Center
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Images

Label texts

Brosseau Center for Learning: In Conversation with the 2025–26 KU Common Book

Look closely and you’ll see that this artwork is made of one long spiraling line that begins at the tip of Jesus’ nose. As you study the tightly packed lines, you may notice a rippling pattern that shifts as you move your head. Not seeing it? Try taking a picture without flash! In your photo, you might see a wavy pattern that isn’t visible to the naked eye. This is called a moiré pattern, and when it appears, we refer to the phenomenon as the moiré effect.

The moiré effect is a type of optical interference that can feel like you’re experiencing a visual glitch. Some people describe moiré as resembling woodgrain or ripples on water as the image seems to move or blur before your eyes. You might have seen this effect when someone on TV wears pinstriped clothing. I most often notice the moiré effect while looking at pictures on my phone or computer. In these cases, it occurs because the regular grid of the screen’s pixels interacts with tiny details in a photograph.

I’ve noticed the moiré effect while watching videos, online shopping, and while looking at art online. While some artists seek out the moiré effect, I find that it often appears in unintended and distracting ways. Every time I see a picture of this print, it looks different. In some cases, the moiré effect was so pronounced I couldn’t see the artwork clearly.

Many of us experience art through digital images on a screen, and this isn’t necessarily a bad thing! Some of my favorite artworks are pieces I have only seen online. As we spend more time on our devices, this is becoming more common. In the United States, the average person spends about seven hours per day looking at a screen. When we spend so much time in front of a screen, it can be easy to forget that what we’re looking at isn’t the real world.

Sometimes the moiré effect is an unavoidable consequence of sharing art online. It is a tradeoff we make for greater access to art. The moiré effect can be a reminder that things aren’t always as they appear. It offers us the chance to slow down and consider what factors influence our perspective.

Cara Nordengren gives the moiré effect three stars.

Exhibitions

Art Minute Tour
2017
Prints and Drawings from the University of Kansas Museum of Art
1977
Brosseau Center for Learning: Western Art History Survey 2021
2021
Brosseau Center for Learning: Western Art History and other Selections for KU Courses
Rami Zeedan, curator
Sarah Dyer, curator
Marike Janzen, curator
Kate Meyer, curator
2024
Brosseau Center for Learning: In Conversation with the 2025–26 KU Common Book
Scott Barber, curator
Wyatt Haywood, curator
Suzanne Huffman, curator
Ellen Joo, curator
Luke Jordan, curator
Arial Kim, curator
Doug Bergstrom, curator
Susan Earle, curator
Sofía Galarza Liu, curator
Kevin Liu, curator
Kate Meyer, curator
Cara Nordengren, curator
Hana Rose North, curator
Liz Pfeiffer, curator
Sydney Pursel, curator
Rachel Straughn-Navarro, curator
Eli Troen, curator
Maggie Vaughn, curator

Resources

Audio

Didactic – Art Minute
Didactic – Art Minute
Episode 261 Mar-2008, revised May 2012, Robert Fucci I’m David Cateforis with another art minute from the Spencer Museum of Art. In the traditional intaglio printmaking technique of engraving, the artist cuts into a metal plate with a sharp tool, inks the incisions, and transfers the ink to paper. The Spencer collection holds a highly unusual engraving by the 17th-century French artist Claude Mellan. The large sheet depicts the head of Christ as it miraculously appeared on Veronica's veil when she used it to wipe his brow. Crowned with thorns and dripping blood, Christ looks out at us with mournful eyes. The image is haunting, but what astonished Mellan's contemporaries - and continues to astonish us today - is the manner in which the artist created this work. Mellan engraved the copperplate with a single, continuous line that spirals outward from the tip of Christ's nose to the edge of the plate. This tour-de-force of the engraver's art required careful planning and a highly controlled hand that could make the line swell and taper according to the needs of the image. Just as Christ's head miraculously appeared on Veronica's veil, Mellan boldly tells us, so too does this image miraculously print on a sheet of paper. With thanks to Robert Fucci for his text, from the Spencer Museum of Art, I’m David Cateforis.