Getty Museum
The Crowning with Thorns
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
Simon Bening placed Christ in the center of this miniature in a pose that reveals dignity and grace in the face of his attackers. Despite the grievous wounds he has sustained, Christ retains a solemn beauty while his tormenters appear ugly, foolish, and evil. In juxtaposing the distorted features of the henchmen with Christ's comely figure, Bening followed a common medieval artistic tradition meant to evoke a sympathetic response from the beholder. He also drew the viewer into the scene by placing Pilate and his retinue outside the windows of the torture chamber. In a sense, the officials mirror the position of the person looking at the picture.
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