Polyptych with Scenes from Christ's Passion

Unknown

ca. 1350 · Ivory, paint, and gilding with metal mounts · Medieval Art

Some private devotional objects were intended to encourage meditation on the events of the Passion in great detail, cultivating a feeling of personal presence. Narrative carvings may have aided in such intense visualization. This particular choice of scenes is striking in its attention to Pontius Pilate, its depiction of both the raising of the cross and Jesus nailed to the cross, and its inclusion of the rare episode of the stripping and buffeting of Christ.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1350

Medium

Ivory, paint, and gilding with metal mounts

Culture

French or German

Department

Medieval Art

Credit line

Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917