Artwork
Flagellation of Christ
Flagellation of Christ is an unspecified painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Lucas Cranach the Elder. It dates from 1538 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The iconography focuses on the event itself rather than broader symbolic allegories, presenting the scene as a direct representation of the biblical account.
The painting depicts the Flagellation of Christ, a specific episode from the Passion narrative where Jesus Christ is whipped prior to his crucifixion. As a work of religious art by Lucas Cranach the Elder, the piece centers on this main subject to illustrate the physical suffering endured by Jesus. The iconography focuses on the event itself rather than broader symbolic allegories, presenting the scene as a direct representation of the biblical account.
Created in 1538, the artwork serves as a devotional object within the genre of religious painting, emphasizing the historical and spiritual significance of Christ's torment.
Technique & Style
Created in 1538, this religious painting by Lucas Cranach the Elder is executed on a spruce wood panel. The work measures 108 cm in height and 84 cm in width. As an oil painting on wood, it represents the standard panel technique of the German Renaissance, where the artist applied pigments to a prepared wooden support.
The composition depicts the Flagellation of Christ, a subject treated with the formal clarity and stylized figures characteristic of Cranach's workshop output during this period.
History & Provenance
The painting Flagellation of Christ was created by Lucas Cranach the Elder in 1538 and executed in spruce. It has been part of the Kunsthistorisches Museum's collection since its inception, remaining there as of the latest provenance records. The work was commissioned as a religious piece and is classified within the religious art genre, reflecting its devotional subject matter.
The painting is held in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, where it forms part of the museum's collection of works by Lucas Cranach the Elder. No specific inventory or accession number is recorded in the available sources.
No exhibition history is documented in the sources provided.
Overview
Flagellation of Christ, painted in 1538 by Lucas Cranach the Elder on spruce, is a religious artwork depicting a pivotal moment in Christian narrative. Now housed at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, it showcases the artist's interpretation of a dramatic biblical scene.
Context
Painted during a time of religious upheaval in Europe, the Flagellation of Christ reflects the continued importance of traditional Christian imagery in the early 16th century, despite the onset of the Reformation.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Lucas Cranach the Elder was a German Renaissance painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving.
