The Man of Sorrows and the King of Glory in Italy, c. 1250– c. 1350
Lachlan Turnbull
emaj: issue 4 (2009)
Abstract
The Man of Sorrows – an iconographic type of Jesus Christ following his Crucifixion – has received extensive analytical treatment in the art-historical literature. Following a model that draws scholarly attention to the dynamics of cross-cultural artistic exchange in the central Middle Ages, this article reconsiders recent advances in the scholarly literature and refocusses analysis upon the Man of Sorrows within the context of its ‘shared’ intercultural heritage, suspended between Byzantium and the West, as an image ultimately transformed from liturgical icon to iconographic device.
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The image of Jesus’ Crucifixion was originally believed to be either so scandalous, or considered so absurd, that the iconographic means by which to depict it constituted an almost reluctantly-developed theme in Christian art. Recent research indicates that Christian Crucifixion iconography emerged in the fourth century and emphasised the salvific – which is to imply, triumphal – aspect of Jesus’ death.2 ‘The Passion’, commencing with the betrayal of Jesus by his disciple Judas Iscariot, culminating in Jesus’ redemptive sacrifice by his Crucifixion and ending with his Resurrection, is a critical narrative in Christian faith. The reality of the Crucifixion, including the penetration of Jesus’ side and the issuing of blood and water, are pivotal mystic concepts linked to the key Christian doctrines of transubstantiation and sacrificial resurrection, and thus to the efficacy of the Eucharistic Mystery and Christian communion. The twinned natures of Jesus, his humanity and divinity, underpin the salvific significance of his death, and the image of his crucified body reinforces the memory of, identification with, and sympathy for Jesus whilst reinforcing the message of his ultimate return.
Lachlan Turnbull
emaj: issue 4 (2009)
Abstract
The Man of Sorrows – an iconographic type of Jesus Christ following his Crucifixion – has received extensive analytical treatment in the art-historical literature. Following a model that draws scholarly attention to the dynamics of cross-cultural artistic exchange in the central Middle Ages, this article reconsiders recent advances in the scholarly literature and refocusses analysis upon the Man of Sorrows within the context of its ‘shared’ intercultural heritage, suspended between Byzantium and the West, as an image ultimately transformed from liturgical icon to iconographic device.
The image of Jesus’ Crucifixion was originally believed to be either so scandalous, or considered so absurd, that the iconographic means by which to depict it constituted an almost reluctantly-developed theme in Christian art. Recent research indicates that Christian Crucifixion iconography emerged in the fourth century and emphasised the salvific – which is to imply, triumphal – aspect of Jesus’ death.2 ‘The Passion’, commencing with the betrayal of Jesus by his disciple Judas Iscariot, culminating in Jesus’ redemptive sacrifice by his Crucifixion and ending with his Resurrection, is a critical narrative in Christian faith. The reality of the Crucifixion, including the penetration of Jesus’ side and the issuing of blood and water, are pivotal mystic concepts linked to the key Christian doctrines of transubstantiation and sacrificial resurrection, and thus to the efficacy of the Eucharistic Mystery and Christian communion. The twinned natures of Jesus, his humanity and divinity, underpin the salvific significance of his death, and the image of his crucified body reinforces the memory of, identification with, and sympathy for Jesus whilst reinforcing the message of his ultimate return.
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