06 works, Today, October 27th, is Saint Claudia Procla's day, her story illustrated #298

Unknown artist

Jesus Christ at Pilate’s judgment hall

I have no further description, at this time

While Pilate was sitting in the judgment hall, his wife sent him a message: "Have nothing to do with that innocent man, because in a dream last night, I suffered much on account of him."

James Tissot, (1836–1902)

The Message of Pilate's Wife, c. between 1886 and 1894

Gouache over graphite on gray wove paper

Height: 14.6 cm (5.7 in); Width: 18.3 cm (7.2 in)

Brooklyn Museum

Jacques Joseph Tissot (15 October 1836 – 8 August 1902), Anglicized as James Tissot, was a French painter and illustrator. He was a successful painter of Paris society before moving to London in 1871. He became famous as a genre painter of fashionably dressed women shown in various scenes of everyday life. He also painted scenes and characters from the Bible. More on James Tissot

Pilate, in his anxiety to please the people and avoid trouble, did not heed the warning of his wife. An interesting detail: there is a hint that she could be a proselyte and, as a proselyte, she could better understand issues related to faith. Pilate was used to addressing such problems to her. 

Gustave Doré, (French, 1832–1883)

The dream of Pilate's wife, Claudia Procula , c. 1874

Oil on Canvas

200 x 301 cm. (78.7 x 118.5 in.)

Private collection

"The night before his trial, I dreamt of him.

His brown hands touched me. Then it hurt.

Then blood. I saw that each tough palm was skewered

by a nail. I woke up, sweating, sexual, terrified.

Leave him alone. I sent a warning note, then quickly dressed.

When I arrived, the Nazarene was crowned with thorns.

The crowd was baying for Barabbas. Pilate saw me,

looked away, then carefully turned up his sleeves

and slowly washed his useless, perfumed hands.

They seized the prophet then and dragged him out,

up to the Place of Skulls. My maid knows all the rest.

Was he God? Of course not. Pilate believed he was.? 

PILATE’S WIFE, by Carol Ann Duffy

Paul Gustave Louis Christophe Doré (6 January 1832 – 23 January 1883) was a French artist, printmaker, illustrator and sculptor. Doré worked primarily with wood engraving.

Doré was born in Strasbourg on 6 January 1832. By age five, he was a prodigy troublemaker, playing pranks that were mature beyond his years. Seven years later, he began carving in cement. At the age of fifteen Doré began his career working as a caricaturist for the French paper Le Journal pour rire, and subsequently went on to win commissions to depict scenes from books by Rabelais, Balzac, Milton and Dante.

In 1853, Doré was asked to illustrate the works of Lord Byron. This commission was followed by additional work for British publishers, including a new illustrated Bible. In 1856 he produced twelve folio-size illustrations of The Legend of The Wandering Jew.

Doré's illustrations for the Bible (1866) were a great success, and in 1867 Doré had a major exhibition of his work in London. This exhibition led to the foundation of the Doré Gallery in Bond Street, London. Doré was mainly celebrated for his paintings in his day. His paintings remain world-renowned, but his woodcuts and engravings are where he really excelled as an artist with an individual vision.

Doré never married and, following the death of his father in 1849, he continued to live with his mother, illustrating books until his death in Paris following a short illness. The government of France made him a Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur in 1861. More on Gustave Doré

In the Middle Ages it was believed that Pilate's wife she saw a demon who was tormenting her and interfering with going to plead for Christ. That is, they talked about some kind of struggle with the demon, it was suggested that the demon prevented her from seeing Christ in a dream.

Hieronymus Bosch

Ecce Homo, c. 1500

w60.5 x h71.1 cm

Type: Oakwood

Städel Museum,  Frankfurt am Main

Hieronymus Bosch (c. 1450 – 9 August 1516) was an Early Flemish painter. His work is known for its fantastic imagery, detailed landscapes, and illustrations of religious concepts and narratives. Within his lifetime his work was collected in the Netherlands, Austria, and Spain, and widely copied, especially his macabre and nightmarish depictions of hell.

Little is known of Bosch's life, though there are some records. He spent most of it in the town of 's-Hertogenbosch, where he was born in his grandfather's house. The roots of his forefathers are in Aachen, in present-day Germany. His pessimistic and fantastical style cast a wide influence on northern art of the 16th century, with Pieter Bruegel the Elder being his best known follower. His paintings have been difficult to translate from a modern point of view; attempts to associate instances of modern sexual imagery with fringe sects or the occult have largely failed. Today he is seen as a hugely individualistic painter with deep insight into humanity's desires and deepest fears. Attribution has been especially difficult; today only about 25 paintings are confidently given to his hand along with 8 drawings. Approximately another half dozen paintings are confidently attributed to his workshop. His most acclaimed works consist of a few triptych altarpieces, the most outstanding of which is The Garden of Earthly Delights. More Hieronymus Bosch

Antonio Ciseri, (1821–1891)

Ecce Homo (Behold the Man!), between circa 1860 and circa 1880

Oil on canvas

292 x 380 cm

Museo Cantonale d’Arte, Lugano, Switzerland

Pontius Pilate presents scourged Jesus Christ to Jerusalem residents, with grieving Pilate’s wife in the right corner.

Ciseri describes the moment when Pontius Pilate, leaning forward from the balcony of a palace toward the crowd below him, offers up both Christ and Barabas for sentencing. The presence of Roman centurions as well as other details like ancient garments and architectural props lends this scene a sense of historical authenticity. More on this painting

Antonio Ciseri (25 October 1821 – 8 March 1891) was a Swiss-Italian painter of religious subjects.

He was born in Ronco sopra Ascona, Switzerland. He went to Florence in 1833 to study drawing with Ernesto Bonaiuti. Within a year, by 1834 he was a pupil of Niccola and Pietro Benvenuti at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence; he was later taught by Giuseppe Bezzuoli, who greatly influenced the early part of his career. In 1849, he began offering instruction to young painters, and eventually ran a private art school. Among his earliest students was Silvestro Lega.

Ciseri's religious paintings are Raphaelesque in their compositional outlines and their polished surfaces, but are nearly photographic in effect. He fulfilled many important commissions from churches in Italy and Switzerland. Ciseri also painted a significant number of portraits. He died in Florence on 8 March 1891. Among his other pupils were the painters Oreste Costa, Giuseppe Guzzardi, Alcide Segoni, Andrea Landini, Raffaello Sorbi, Niccolò Cannicci, Emanuele Trionfi, Girolamo Nerli, and Egisto Sarri. More on Antonio Ciseri

Antonio Ciseri  (1821–1891)

Detail: Ecce Homo (Behold the Man!), between circa 1860 and circa 1880

Oil on canvas

292 x 380 cm

Museo Cantonale d’Arte, Lugano, Switzerland

According to later Christian tradition she was baptized a Christian. She is known as Procla or Claudia, or Claudia Procla. It is assumed that her name prior to becoming a Christian was Claudia, while after baptism it was changed to Procla.  The name "Claudia" appears only once in the New Testament, in the Second Epistle to Timothy 4:21: "Eubulus, Pudens, Linus and Claudia send their greetings, and so all the other Christians."

After her husband’s death, Claudia Procula is said to have embraced Christianity. After living her life in the utmost goodness and piety, she surrendered her soul in peace. There are other accounts, however, which say that she was a martyr.

She is venerated as a saint by the Orthodox Church, the Coptic Church.

Sources differ on her death, some saying she died in peace while others saying she died as a martyr. She is celebrated by the Church on October 27th. 

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