The Flagellation
The Met
Artist: Master of the Berswordt Altar(German, Westphalian, active ca. 1400–35)
Date: ca. 1400
Department: European Paintings
Classification: Paintings
Medium: Oil, egg(?), and gold on plywood, transferred from wood
Dimensions: 22 3/4 x 16 7/8 in. (57.8 x 42.9 cm)
Credit Line: Bequest of Hertha Katz, 2000
Visual Descriptions
AI GeneratedVisual Summary
Brief Description
Pale man with thorny circlet tied to column, struck by two figures, a third pulling rope
Detailed Description
The painting depicts a scene with four male figures against a textured gold background. In the center, a pale, slender man with a circlet of thorny branches on his head is tied by his wrists to a tall, dark column. He wears a white loincloth, and small red marks are visible on his chest and legs. His head is tilted down and to the left. To the left of the central figure, a man with light brown hair and a yellow cap stands, facing right. He wears a long-sleeved yellow tunic and light brown leggings, holding a bundle of thin brown sticks behind his back with both hands. To the right, a man in a dark green hooded robe stands, facing left, with his right arm raised, holding a bundle of reddish-brown sticks above his head. Below him, a fourth man kneels on his right knee, facing left, wearing a brown tunic and light brown leggings. He pulls a thick, light-colored rope that is tied around the central figure's left ankle. The background is a shimmering, cracked gold surface, and the entire scene is framed by a dark border.
Generated by gemini-2.5-flash
