Cranach, Lucas sr. (3) 루카스 크라나흐

Lucas Cranach the Elder 1472 – 1553

Christ Crowned with Thorns

oil on panel (28 × 21 cm) — c. 1510
private collection

Lucas Cranach the Elder biography

This work is linked to Mark 15:17

Art and the Bible - Mark 15 - New Testament

 

After the flagellation ordered by the Roman governor Pilate, soldiers started to mock Jesus because of his nickname 'King of the Jews'. He was stripped naked and then dressed in a purple gown. On his head they put a crown made out of thorn branches. According to the Gospel of John, this is how Jesus was presented to the people ("Behold the man!").

 

Lucas Cranach shows the face of a suffering man who has accepted his fate. A few lines of blood show that the thorns must have stuck deep into the skin.

 

Experts say this portrait refers to early Netherlandish art by Van Eyck cum suis.