A Northern British Medieval Granite Figure of Christ
A Northern British Medieval Granite Figure of Christ
Late 14th Century / Early 15th Century
Size : 71 cm high, 20 cm wide, 15 cm deep – 28 ins high, 8 ins wide, 6 ins deep
Late 14th Century / Early 15th Century
Size : 71 cm high, 20 cm wide, 15 cm deep – 28 ins high, 8 ins wide, 6 ins deep
This enigmatic sculpture was made for an exterior niche on a church or chapel and represents the mocking of Christ. In one of the Roman catacombs at Pretextat a 2nd century AD fresco shows two men with reeds beating a Christ whose head is enveloped in thorns.
'and when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand : and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him saying, Hail, King of the Jews ! and they spit upon him, and took the reed and smote him on the head. And after that they had mocked him they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him'
In St John's Gospel the mocking of Christ is followed by an episode of Pilate presenting Christ to the crowd in his mock sovereigns attire : 'Ecce Homo' he says 'behold the man'.
This medieval artist has successfully contrived to render the sacrilege of the ridiculing of Christ, and the sadness such treatment engendered in his heart, without portraying the violence of the beatings, to the mind of the medieval Christian worshiper.
'and when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand : and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him saying, Hail, King of the Jews ! and they spit upon him, and took the reed and smote him on the head. And after that they had mocked him they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him'
In St John's Gospel the mocking of Christ is followed by an episode of Pilate presenting Christ to the crowd in his mock sovereigns attire : 'Ecce Homo' he says 'behold the man'.
This medieval artist has successfully contrived to render the sacrilege of the ridiculing of Christ, and the sadness such treatment engendered in his heart, without portraying the violence of the beatings, to the mind of the medieval Christian worshiper.
A Northern British Medieval Granite Figure of Christ
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