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The Flagellation of Christ
Piero della Francesca · Renaissance & Mannerism
- Artist
- Piero della Francesca (c. 1415–1492)
- Date
- c. 1455–1460
- Dimensions
- 58.4 x 81.5 cm
- Medium
- Oil and tempera on panel
- Location
- Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, Urbino, Italy
The Flagellation of Christ is a small, mysterious panel that sets the scourging of Christ in the background of an elegant Renaissance loggia, while three men stand talking in the foreground, apparently ignoring it.
A closer look
The picture is divided into two worlds. On the left, under a coffered ceiling built with perfect geometric perspective, Christ is tied to a column topped by a golden statue, watched by Pontius Pilate on his throne. On the right, outdoors in daylight, three figures, one barefoot young man in red between two older men, stand in silent conversation. Who they are has been debated for centuries: contemporary nobles, figures from the history of the Church, or a commentary on the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453. The calm, crystalline order of the painting only deepens its enigma.
