German, North, 'Christ carrying the Cross', about 1490-1510

Christ carries the Cross on which he will be crucified to Golgotha, the site of his execution (John 19: 17). He is surrounded by soldiers and guards who goad him on his way as he struggles under the weight of the Cross. His body is doubled over and large teardrops fall down his face. The thorns plaited around his head to form a makeshift crown – a punishment for the claim of kingship he was falsely accused of making – have cut his forehead, which is red with blood. Two of the guards hold him by a rope which is tied around his waist.

Christ’s tormentors wear contemporary northern European dress, to make the scene appear more real to viewers. The walled city in the distance represents Jerusalem, but includes Gothic towers with pointed spires. The painting may have been part of a series of images showing Christ’s Passion (the name for the events including his arrest, torture and death). Each panel probably would have included a similar fictive frame of slender columns and a gilded decorative arch made up of stylised branches that bear flowers and foliage.

The panel was once thought to be painted by a Westphalian artist, but is now regarded as reflecting the work of painters in Lübeck in North Germany.