Christ Crowned with Thorns

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…

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.