The Spirit and Creativity

Christ Mocked

(The Crowning with Thorns)

The arts are one of the great glories of our tradition. In this edition we celebrate the work of Hieronymus Bosch’s depiction of the Crowning of the Thorns.

The scriptural basis of the painting

‘And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium; and they call together the whole band.

 And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head,

 And began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews!

 And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him.

 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him.’

The provenance of the painting.

It was painted about 1490-1500. Bosch was alive between 1474 – 1516. The painting was  bought. Bought by the National Gallery in London 1934. Oil on oak 73.8 x 59 cm.

The Content of the Painting

Four torturers surround Christ, pressing towards him, while he looks out at us. Bosch's picture emphasises the contrast between the brutality of the tormentors and the mild, suffering Christ. Its emotional intensity is achieved in a variety of ways. The half-length figures create a sense of proximity, and the lack of recession in the painting makes it appear very claustrophobic. From the centre of the picture Christ seems to appeal to us to share in his suffering. The characterisations here are not just grotesque, but reflect specific ideas. Christ's torturers were often referred to as savage beasts, which may explain why the man at the top right appears to wear a spiked dog collar. The figure at the lower left has a crescent moon of Islam and yellow star of the Jews on his head-dress, which mark him as an opponent of Christianity.

Religious Art Exhibition in the
John Garratt Bookroom.
Do you have Religious art you would like to exhibit and or sell? We are planning to
hold an exhibition of religious art in June 2007.
If you would like to exhibit please contact Sandy,our bookroom manager at
sales@johngarratt.com.au

Hieronymus Bosch’s depiction of the
Crowning of the Thorns.

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