The flagellation of Christ
mid-17th century
Medium
Bronze gilt
Dimensions
Height (.196- center): 5 7/8 in. (14.9 cm); Height (.196b- left): 9 in. (22.9 cm); Height (.196c- right): 7 1/4 in. (18.4 cm)
Classification
Sculpture-Bronze
Culture
Italian, Florence
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Friedsam Collection, Bequest of Michael Friedsam, 1931
Accession Number
32.100.196a–c
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold *The Flagellation of Christ*, a striking gilt bronze sculpture attributed to Giambologna, renowned Florentine artist active in the Mannerist tradition. Dating to the mid-17th century, this intimate group comprises three figures—likely Christ at the center (5 7/8 inches high) flanked by his tormentors (9 inches and 7 1/4 inches)—capturing the raw intensity of the biblical scourging scene. The gilded bronze medium, with its warm luster and fine detailing, was a hallmark of Italian Renaissance and Baroque workshops, ideal for both devotional use and princely collections. Giambologna's wor...
About the Artist
Giambologna · 1529–1608
Born and trained in Flanders (Douai, his birthplace, is now in France but was once in Flanders), Giambologna traveled to Italy in 1550 to study Classical and Renaissance sculpture. There, he became court sculptor of the Medici Dukes. He was famed for compositional sophistication, sensuous, tactile treatment of human body, and sheer technical virtuosity. He was extremely influential because the Med...