17th century Flemish school.
"The flagellation of Christ".
Oil on copper.
Measurements: 44 x 54 cm; 81 x 91 cm (frame).
In this copper the theme of the scourging of Christ is approached following a compositional scheme influenced by the long Italian tradition, with Jesus tied to the column in the centre of the scene. The event takes place in an austere, humble and dark interior, defined by a semicircular arch behind the main scene and a tiled floor. It is in this room that a group of soldiers are scourging Christ. Two of them appear in the middle of the scene, raising their arms to strike him. Jesus is already wearing the purity cloth, fastened with a rope, and his hands are tied to a tall pillar. The result is a totally narrative scene, highly expressive and dynamic, which introduces depth into the foreground and perfectly summarises the action.
As for its iconography, all four Gospels mention the punishment that Christ suffers at this moment, although they make no reference to any pillar: this iconography arises from the word "chastisement" used by Luke, and was known as a moment prior to the Crucifixion in the words of Josephus, for example. Throughout the Middle Ages the column venerated in Jerusalem was used for these representations, characterised by its height. There is another typology, however, which closely follows the model of the relic preserved in Santa Praxedes in Rome since 1233 and which the Council of Trent was responsible for recovering for art, characterised precisely by the marble in which it is made and by its low height. This model of column, which does not deny the previous one as theologians recognise two moments in which Christ was flaged, was used in art from the end of the 16th century, coexisting with the high one, and spread rapidly throughout Europe.