Probably by Jacobello del Bonomo, 'The Man of Sorrows', about 1385-1400
About the work
Overview
The artist of this panel has sculpted the drops of blood which fall from Christ’s side and hands and then painted over them to emphasise their gore. The circular wounds in Christ’s hands were caused by the nails of the Crucifixion and the wound in his ribcage by a Roman soldier’s spear. Christ’s head dangles limply to one side and heavy eyelids seal his eyes closed. He is shown in death but standing upright in his open tomb.
This kind of image showing the dead Christ with a focus on his wounds was called the ‘Imago Pietatis’ (‘image of pity’) or the Man of Sorrows. It was based upon an image from Byzantium, the Eastern Christian empire, and its purpose was to inspire empathy for Christ’s suffering and death.
Byzantine images were particularly popular in Venice which had close links with Byzantium. This picture has been removed from the frame which connected it to a larger multi-panelled altarpiece. The location of the other panels has not been established.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- The Man of Sorrows
- Artist
- Probably by Jacobello del Bonomo
- Artist dates
- documented 1375 - 1385
- Date made
- about 1385-1400
- Medium and support
- egg tempera on wood
- Dimensions
- 48 × 30.4 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Presented by Henry Wagner, 1924
- Inventory number
- NG3893
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Dillian Gordon, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Italian Paintings before 1400’, London 2011; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Exhibition history
-
2011Passion in Venice: Crivelli to Tintoretto and VeroneseMuseum of Biblical Art11 February 2011 - 12 June 2011
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2011Devotion by Design: Italian Altarpieces before 1500The National Gallery (London)6 July 2011 - 2 October 2011
Bibliography
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1927E. Panofsky, '"Imago pietatis": Ein Beitrag zur Typengeschichte des "Schmerzenmanns" und der "Maria Mediatrix"', in P.O. Kristeller (ed.), Festschrift für M. J. Friedländer, Leipzig 1927, pp. 261-308
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1929National Gallery, National Gallery, Trafalgar Square: Catalogue, 86th edn, London 1929
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1934C. Dodgson, Woodcuts of the XV Century in the British Museum, London 1934
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1951Davies, Martin, National Gallery Catalogues: The Earlier Italian Schools, London 1951
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1961M. Davies, The Earlier Italian Schools, 2nd edn, London 1961
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1964R. Pallucchini, La pittura veneziana del Trecento, Venice 1964
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1986Davies, Martin, National Gallery Catalogues: The Earlier Italian Schools, revised edn, London 1986
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1986E. Mâle, Religious Art in France: The Late Middle Ages: A Study of Medieval Iconography and Its Sources, Princeton 1986
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1988Gordon, Dillian, National Gallery Catalogues: The Early Italian Schools before 1400, revised edn, London 1988
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1990H. Belting, The Image and Its Public in the Middle Ages: Form and Function of Early Paintings of the Passion, New York 1990
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1991J. Dunkerton et al., Giotto to Dürer: Early Renaissance Painting in the National Gallery, New Haven 1991
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1997National Gallery, 'Pictures Cleaned and Restored in the Conservation Department of the National Gallery, October 1997 - January 2000', National Gallery Technical Bulletin, XXI, 2000
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2000G. Finaldi, The Image of Christ, London 2000
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2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
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2008C. Puglisi and W. Barcham, 'Bernardino da Feltre, the Monte di Pietà and the Man of Sorrows: Activist, Microcredit and Logo', Artibus et historiae, XXIX/58, 2008, pp. 35-63
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2011Gordon, Dillian, National Gallery Catalogues: The Italian Paintings before 1400, London 2011
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.