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How does Gilles resemble an Ecce Homo image?

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Watteau, Antoine: Mezzetin — Antoine Watteau *Mezzetin*, oil on canvas by Antoine Watteau, 1718–20; in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. 55.2 × 43.2 cm.

In Jean-Antoine Watteau's painting Pierrot (formerly known as Gilles), the central figure of the clown is depicted in a manner that evokes the religious Ecce Homo ("Behold the Man") theme.12

This resemblance is rooted in the following parallels:

The Presentation of a Victim: The Ecce Homo theme traditionally depicts the moment Pontius Pilate presents Jesus to the crowd before his crucifixion. Similarly, Watteau’s Gilles is portrayed as an isolated, uncomprehending figure who offers himself to the laughter and judgment of an audience, functioning as a victim of a ceremony he does not fully grasp.12
Grandness and Stature: The figure is represented with a sense of grandness that recalls Rembrandt’s Christ Presented to the People (Ecce Homo).2
Symbolic Innocence: Clad in white, the clown embodies a state of innocence—or perceived imbecility—that mirrors the vulnerability of the suffering Christ in traditional religious iconography.2

Ultimately, the painting captures the actor during an intermission, standing as a solitary, melancholic figure exposed to the public gaze.12