The crown of thorns is an episode from the story of Christ’s Passion. The composition of the work is fairly traditional, with Christ seated on a stone in the centre, his hands bound and his body covered in wounds. In an attitude of resignation, he endures the derision and injuries inflicted on him by his tormentors. Two of them stand crosswise, pressing a crown of thorns onto his head. This is a metaphor for Christ in the Wine Press, in which Christ is ‘crushed’ like a mysterious bunch of grapes. At the same time it clearly refers to the Eucharist. The coarse, almost caricatural portrayal of the tormentors and the use of bright colours are typical of German mediaeval art. This work is reminiscent of paintings by Lucas Cranach, one of the most important German artists, to whom this work was once ascribed.
| Artist |
Master of the Pflock Altar
RKD
|
|---|---|
| Title | Christ Crowned with Thorns |
| Date | ca. 1520 |
| Period | 16th century |
| Signatures, inscriptions, and markings | inscription at the right on the trousers of the standing figure: SPIE |
| Collection | paintings AAT |
| Object type | oil paintings (visual works) AAT |
| Inventory number | 1913-S |
| Acquisition credit |
gift
The Friends of the Museum Ghent 1913 |
| Current whereabouts | Work on display |
| Permalink | https://mskgent.be/collection/work/data/1913-S |
| IIIF Manifest | https://imagehub.mskgent.be/iiif/3/597/manifest.json |
| Art & Architecture Thesaurus | 300055874 religious symbolism AAT |
|---|---|
| Keywords Iconclass |
11D
Christ
Iconclass
11D3 Christ as adult Iconclass 31A25362 pulling at the corners of the mouth Iconclass 31A534 beard Iconclass 31A5341 moustache Iconclass 31B62322 grimacing Iconclass 31B62322(+3) grimacing (+ sideview, profile) Iconclass 31B62323 tongue stuck out Iconclass 31B6233 mouth wide open Iconclass 41D2122 cape Iconclass 41D221 head-gear Iconclass 41D221(CAP) head-gear: cap Iconclass 44G3121 prisoner with hands bound Iconclass 44G32 executioner, hangman Iconclass 44G321(STAKE) instruments of torture, execution or punishment: stake Iconclass 44G321(WHIP) instruments of torture, execution or punishment (WHIP) Iconclass 44G33 torture Iconclass 45B the soldier; the soldier's life Iconclass 45C22 armour Iconclass 73 New Testament Iconclass 73C public life of Christ: from his baptism until the Passion Iconclass 73D Passion of Christ Iconclass 73D351 flagellation by soldiers, Christ usually tied to a column (Matthew 27:26; Mark 15:15; John 19:1) Iconclass 73D3512 Christ with wounds caused by scourging Iconclass 73D352 the crowning with thorns: soldiers with sticks place a thorny crown on Christ's head and give him a reed (Matthew 27:27-31; Mark 15:16-20; John 19:2-3) Iconclass 73D3522 head of Christ with crown of thorns Iconclass |
| School / Style | German School |
| Museum van Schoone Kunsten : Catalogus ; Oude Meesters, Schilderstukken, teekeningen, plaatsneden (met geschiedkundig overzicht) / Maurice Dupuis, Georges Charles Nicolas Marie Hulin de Loo, Fritz Van Loo. - Gent : Drukkerij F. De Vos, 1938 ; Gent : Stad Gent, 1938 (p. 42 ('Cranach')) |
| Meester van de retabel Pflock / Hélène Brunin. - [s.l.] : [s.n.], [s.a.] (p. 324, nr. 696) |
| Les peintures de Lucas Cranach / Max Julius Friedländer, Jakob Rosenberg. - Paris : Flammarion, 1978 (p. 163) |
| Guide du Musée des Beaux-Arts de Gand, Orné de 52 reproductions de tableaux : Extrait du guide illustré de Gand / Jos. Casier. - Gand : Anc. Maison d'édition Vanderpoorten, 1949 (p. 21 (ill.)) |
| Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent = Museum of Fine Arts Ghent / Claudie De Guillebon, Jacques Ostier, Robert Hoozee, Monique Tahon-Vanroose. - Parijs : Association des Amis de "Musées 2000", 1989 (p. 63 (ill. 103)) |
| Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent : Catalogus schilderkunst ; Deel I: 14de - 18de eeuw ; Deel II: 19de - 20ste eeuw / Robert Hoozee, Johan De Smet, Bruno Fornari, Ruth Monteyne. - Gent : Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent, 2007 (dl. I, p. 127 (ill.)) |
| Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent : De collectie (tentoonstelling vanaf 21 maart 2021) / Johan De Smet, Bart Ooghe, Frederica Van Dam, Lieven Van Den Abeele, Cathérine Verleysen. - Gent : Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent, 2021 |
| Musée des Beaux-Arts de Gand : La Collection (exposition dès le 21 mars 2021) / Johan De Smet, Bart Ooghe, Frederica Van Dam, Lieven Van Den Abeele, Cathérine Verleysen. - Gand : Musée des Beaux-Arts de Gand, 2021 |
| onder vrienden : 225 jaar verzamelaars rond het Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent (tentoonstelling Gent, Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent, 25.11.2023 - 28.04.2024) / Johan De Smet, Frederica Van Dam, Willy Van der Gucht, Manfred Sellink. - Gent : Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent, 2023 ; Gent : De Vrienden van het Museum, 2023 (p. 54, cat. 64 (ill.)) |
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