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The Flagellation of Christ (Caravaggio)
Encyclopedia
The Flagellation of Christ is a painting by the Italian
Baroque painter Caravaggio
, now in the Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte, Naples
. It is dated to 1607, and may have been reworked by the artist in 1610. It is not to be confused with Christ at the Column
, another Flagellation by Caravaggio of the same period.
(1672), this work was commissioned by the di Franco (or de Franchis) family for a chapel in the church of San Domenico Maggiore
in Naples. The family were connected with the Confraternity of the Pio Monte della Misericordia
, for whose church Caravaggio had already painted The Seven Works of Mercy
. It was moved to the museum at Capodimonte in 1972.
The Flagellation of Christ
had long been a popular subject in religious art—and in contemporary religious practice, where the church encouraged self-flagellation as a means by which the faithful might enter into the suffering of Christ. Caravaggio would have had in mind the famous fresco by Sebastiano del Piombo
in the church of San Pietro in Montorsio in Rome. Caravaggio has reworked Piombo's composition by drastically reducing the picture space so that the sculptural figures seem presented on a shallow stage. He has, however, retained Piombo's sense of the flagellation as a kind of sadistic ballet, with the figures arranged rhythmically across the canvas. Caravaggio's painting introduces an acutely observed reality into the scene: Christ is in this drooping pose, not because it might seem graceful, but because the torturer on the right is kicking the back of his knee while the figure on the left holds his hair tightly in his fist.
This series of highly dramatic and innovative Neapolitan altarpieces — the Seven Works of Mercy, this Flagellation, and a close companion piece, Christ at the Column
, all done within a few months of his arrival in the city — instantly made Caravaggio the most talked-about artist in Naples, and the church of Sant'Anna dei Lombardi
(Saint Anna of the Lombards — Caravaggio was originally from Lombardy) became a centre of the Caravaggisti
, artists painting in the style of Caravaggio. These were not only native Neapolitans like Carlo Sellitto
and Battistello Caracciolo
, but included Flemish artists like Louis Finson and Abraham Vink who would later help spread Caravaggism to northern Europe.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Baroque painter Caravaggio
Caravaggio
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was an Italian artist active in Rome, Naples, Malta, and Sicily between 1593 and 1610. His paintings, which combine a realistic observation of the human state, both physical and emotional, with a dramatic use of lighting, had a formative influence on the Baroque...
, now in the Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte, Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
. It is dated to 1607, and may have been reworked by the artist in 1610. It is not to be confused with Christ at the Column
Christ at the Column (Caravaggio)
Christ at the Column , is a painting by the Italian Baroque painter Caravaggio, currently housed in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen, Rouen, France....
, another Flagellation by Caravaggio of the same period.
Description
According to art biographer Gian Pietro BelloriGian Pietro Bellori
Gian Pietro Bellori , also known as Giovanni Pietro Bellori or Giovan Pietro Bellori, was an Italian painter and antiquarian but more famously, a prominent biographer of artists of the 17th century, equivalent to Giorgio Vasari in the 16th century...
(1672), this work was commissioned by the di Franco (or de Franchis) family for a chapel in the church of San Domenico Maggiore
San Domenico Maggiore
San Domenico Maggiore is a church in Naples, southern Italy, located in the square with the same name. The square is one of the most interesting in Naples and is on the street popularly called "Spaccanapoli" in the historic center of Naples...
in Naples. The family were connected with the Confraternity of the Pio Monte della Misericordia
Pio Monte della Misericordia
thumb|250px|A sculpture at the entrance of the church.The Pio Monte della Misericordia is a church in the historic center of Naples, southern Italy...
, for whose church Caravaggio had already painted The Seven Works of Mercy
The Seven Works of Mercy (Caravaggio)
The Seven Works of Mercy , also known as The Seven Acts of Mercy, is an oil painting by Italian painter Caravaggio, circa 1607. It is housed in the church of Pio Monte della Misericordia in Naples...
. It was moved to the museum at Capodimonte in 1972.
The Flagellation of Christ
Flagellation of Christ
The Flagellation of Christ, sometimes known as Christ at the Column or the Scourging at the Pillar, is a scene from the Passion of Christ very frequently shown in Christian art, in cycles of the Passion or the larger subject of the Life of Christ. It is the fourth station of the modern alternate...
had long been a popular subject in religious art—and in contemporary religious practice, where the church encouraged self-flagellation as a means by which the faithful might enter into the suffering of Christ. Caravaggio would have had in mind the famous fresco by Sebastiano del Piombo
Sebastiano del Piombo
Sebastiano del Piombo , byname of Sebastiano Luciani, was an Italian Renaissance-Mannerist painter of the early 16th century famous for his combination of the colors of the Venetian school and the monumental forms of the Roman school.- Biography :Sebastiano del Piombo belongs to the painting school...
in the church of San Pietro in Montorsio in Rome. Caravaggio has reworked Piombo's composition by drastically reducing the picture space so that the sculptural figures seem presented on a shallow stage. He has, however, retained Piombo's sense of the flagellation as a kind of sadistic ballet, with the figures arranged rhythmically across the canvas. Caravaggio's painting introduces an acutely observed reality into the scene: Christ is in this drooping pose, not because it might seem graceful, but because the torturer on the right is kicking the back of his knee while the figure on the left holds his hair tightly in his fist.
This series of highly dramatic and innovative Neapolitan altarpieces — the Seven Works of Mercy, this Flagellation, and a close companion piece, Christ at the Column
Christ at the Column (Caravaggio)
Christ at the Column , is a painting by the Italian Baroque painter Caravaggio, currently housed in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen, Rouen, France....
, all done within a few months of his arrival in the city — instantly made Caravaggio the most talked-about artist in Naples, and the church of Sant'Anna dei Lombardi
Sant'Anna dei Lombardi
Sant'Anna dei Lombardi is a church and monastic complex in Naples, southern Italy. It was originally named S. Maria di Monteoliveto and was founded in 1411 under king Ladislaus of Durazzo...
(Saint Anna of the Lombards — Caravaggio was originally from Lombardy) became a centre of the Caravaggisti
Caravaggisti
The Caravaggisti were stylistic followers of the 16th century Italian Baroque painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. His influence on the new Baroque style that eventually emerged from Mannerism was profound. Caravaggio never established a workshop as most other painters did, and thus had no...
, artists painting in the style of Caravaggio. These were not only native Neapolitans like Carlo Sellitto
Carlo Sellitto
Carlo Sellitto was an Italian painter of the Baroque period.One of the most gifted followers of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio , Sellitto played an important role in the spread of Caravaggism to Naples and in the development away from Late Mannerism to a greater naturalism.The son of a painter...
and Battistello Caracciolo
Battistello Caracciolo
Giovanni Battista Caracciolo was an Italian artist and important Neapolitan follower of Caravaggio....
, but included Flemish artists like Louis Finson and Abraham Vink who would later help spread Caravaggism to northern Europe.