The painting is paired with a small wooden figurine of Christ of Sorrows, which served as the direct model for the artist. The vertical composition depicts Jesus seated on a tree stump, wearing a crown of thorns. He appears against a backdrop of fields and labouring peasants. The colours are saturated, dominated by yellows, reds, and greens. The anatomical depiction is simplified, with strong contour lines. The sculpture mirrors the pose and attire of the Christ figure in the painting. It is made from patinated plaster in shades of grey. Patinated plaster refers to ordinary plaster that has been artificially aged or coloured to resemble another material. The figurine is mounted on a brown wooden base.

In the painting, the figure of Jesus is positioned in the centre and occupies about three-quarters of the canvas height. He faces the viewer, seated on a large tree stump with two cut branches on either side, which support his elbows. His head leans into his right hand and tilts slightly to the left. His long, dark brown hair falls to his shoulders, catching yellow light. He wears a crown of thorns. His skin is yellowish, with straight dark eyebrows and closed eyes. His nose is wide and rounded; his lips are slightly parted. He has a full brown moustache and a short beard. His upper body is bare. His left arm rests on a cut branch of the stump, with the hand placed on his knees. The arm is visually split into two tones: the upper part yellow, the lower light beige. He is draped in a red cloth that covers him from the waist to the thighs. His legs are bare and bent at the knees. Anatomical details are depicted schematically. His feet end abruptly at the ankles, appearing cut off. The tree stump and the figure rest on a low black rectangular pedestal.

The background consists of fields and grass stretching across the entire canvas. In the upper left corner, trees are partially visible. Closer to the Christ figure, three labourers can be seen: two men and a woman. The men wear black caps and grey shirts; the woman has yellow hair and wears a white blouse and long black skirt. In the upper left corner, nestled among the trees, stand two cottages—one with a light roof and brown walls, the other with a red roof and pale walls.

In the lower right corner of the canvas is the artist's signature, painted in black: "Tymon 1906."

The sculpture presents Christ in the same pose and appearance as in the painting. It is rendered in grey tones. The figure faces forward, seated on a stump, resting his head in his right hand. He has long hair cascading over his shoulders and wears a crown of thorns. His eyes are closed. He is naked apart from a draped cloth over his thighs. His left arm rests on a stump branch, with the hand lying on his thighs. His legs are bare, with the feet ending below the ankles. The figure stands on a brown wooden base shaped like two steps. On the front of the first step is a carved chalice surrounded by irregular lines. On the front face of the second step are two adjacent rectangles. Each is divided diagonally by two lines, creating four triangles. The outer triangles are filled with smaller, nested triangles formed by parallel lines. The back of the base bears the inscribed date: 1906.

The painting directly references a family heirloom—a small wooden figure of Christ of Sorrows. The figure had been damaged, a detail faithfully reproduced by Niesiołowski in his painting.
This work reflects the artist’s fascination with the theories of synthetism and cloisonnism, as promoted by Paul Gauguin, leader of the Pont-Aven school. This influence is seen in the depiction of Christ: vivid colours, strong outlines, and flat areas of colour.

Source: Text by Irena Buchenfeld on Christ of Sorrows
Audio description: Emilia Szymańska
Consultation: Adrian Wyka
Content consultation: Irena Buchenfeld