Getty Museum
The Worship of the Inscribed Tablet from the Cross
Creator
Simon BeningFlemish Illuminator · 1483–1561
All works by this person →One of the most celebrated painters of Flanders in the 1500s, Simon Bening was hailed by Portuguese art critic Francisco da Hollanda as the greatest master of illumination in all of Europe. In addition to producing books for powerful aristocrats such as Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg, Bening worked for a group of international royal patrons including Emperor Charles V and Don Fernando, the Infan
More on Getty ULAN- Date
- about 1525–1530
- Medium
- Tempera colors, gold paint, and gold leaf
- Culture
- Flemish
- Department
- Manuscripts
- Institution
- Getty Museum
Two angels hold up the tablet that Pilate ordered to be attached to the cross. According to the Gospel of John, it bore Christ's appellation, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews," in three languages: Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. On each side, an angel holds a candle and draws back the curtains to reveal the holy object. In the middle, another angel swings a censer, from which smoke flows toward the tablet. Conceiving the scene as a dramatic ritual presented to the beholder, Simon Bening thus singled out one of the objects from the Crucifixion for special worship.
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