Flagellation of Christ
The Flagellation of Christ, in art sometimes known as Christ at the Column or the Scourging at the Pillar, is an episode from the
In art, the subject was first depicted as one of a series of Passion scenes, but from the 15th century onwards it was also painted in individual works. The most-discussed single work is the enigmatic treatment on a small panel in Urbino by Piero della Francesca (1455–1460), the precise meaning of which has eluded generations of art historians. At the same time, Christ at the Column or Christ at the Stake developed as an image of Christ alone tied to a column or stake. This was most popular in Baroque sculpture, and also related to the subject, not found in the canonical Gospels, of Christ in the Dungeon. It is often difficult to distinguish between these two subjects, and between Christ at the Column and a Flagellation.[4]
Gospels
In art
The Flagellation first appears in Western art in the 9th century. It is almost never found in Byzantine art, and remains very rare in Eastern Orthodox art of any date. Initially found in illuminated manuscripts and small ivories, there are surviving monumental wall-paintings of the subject from around 1000 in Italy. From the start, there are most often three figures, Christ and two servants of Pontius Pilate who flog him. In early depictions, Christ may be naked, or wearing a long robe, facing out or seen from behind; from the 12th century it is standard for Christ to wear a loincloth (perizoma) and face out towards the viewer.[7] Christ's face is normally visible, giving artists the "technical problem of showing him receiving the strokes on his back – the usual place – while at the same time leaving his face visible".[8] Often, he appears to be receiving strokes on the front of his body.
The
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Notable examples
Single works:
- Flagellation of Christ (Piero della Francesca), 1455–1460
- Christ at the Column (Antonello da Messina), c. 1475
- The Flagellation of Christ (Caravaggio), 1607
- Christ at the Column (Caravaggio), 1607
In cycles:
Gallery of art
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Greek Orthodox fresco by Theophanes the Cretan
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Flagellation of Christ, byBacchiacca
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Guercino, 1657
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Nicolò Grassi, 1720
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Christ at the Column, Italian sculpture, 1817
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The Flagellation of Our Lord Jesus Christ by William-Adolphe Bouguereau
canonical gospels |
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In film and music
The flagellation of Jesus ("Trial Before Pilate (Including the 39 Lashes)") is a climactic event in the rock musical Jesus Christ Superstar.[13][circular reference] Modern filmmakers have also depicted Christ being flogged. It is a significant scene in Mel Gibson's 2004 The Passion of the Christ. In Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange, Alex imagines himself as a Roman soldier flogging Jesus.[14]
Relics
Alleged pieces of the Column or Pillar of the Flagellation, also called the Scourging Post, are kept at different locations.
- Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem:
- Greek Orthodox Chapel of the Derision in the ambulatory
- Chapel of the Apparition in the Franciscan area, originally in the Cenacle[15]
- Santa Prassede in Rome
See also
- Life of Jesus in the New Testament
References
- ^ The encyclopedia of visual art, Volume 4 by Lawrence Gowing 1983, Encyclopedia Britannica, page 626
- ISBN 1-907200-01-0page 70
- ^ Schiller, Gertrud (1972). Iconography of Christian Art: The Passion of Christ, pp. 66–68. ASIN: B000KGWGH4.
- ^ Schiller, 69
- ^ Schiller, 66; Academic in Newsweek
- ^ Schiller, 66
- ^ Schiller, 66–67
- ISBN 0719541476
- ^ Schiller,68
- ^ See, for example Schiller fig. 231, a 13th-century wall-painting from Cologne
- ^ Schiller, 68
- ^ Schiller, 67
- ^ Jesus Christ Superstar (album)
- ^ D. K. Holm (4 February 2004). "The Passion of the Christ". Nocturnal Admissions. Movie Poop Shoot. Archived from the original on 8 September 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2009.
- ^ Holy Wednesday in Jerusalem: the veneration of the Column from the website of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, 20 April 2020. Accessed 6 October 2023.
- ISBN 0-85331-324-5. English translation from German