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Bassano shared Titian’s enthusiasm for loose, energetic brushwork and play with the oil medium. Probably executed in collaboration with his son Francesco, this painting depicts an event on Good Friday leading up to the Crucifixion of Jesus. Here he is insulted and struck by angry members of the crowd, yet he refuses to fight back, revealing amazing self-control. Although this painting takes the format and grand scale of an altarpiece in a church, it may have been made for a private owner, to decorate a portego (main hallway) in a palazzo.
The Mocking of Christ
1580s
Medium/Technique
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
189.2 x 135.2 cm (74 1/2 x 53 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Anonymous gift
Accession Number01.6
CollectionsEurope
ClassificationsPaintings
Bassano shared Titian’s enthusiasm for loose, energetic brushwork and play with the oil medium. Probably executed in collaboration with his son Francesco, this painting depicts an event on Good Friday leading up to the Crucifixion of Jesus. Here he is insulted and struck by angry members of the crowd, yet he refuses to fight back, revealing amazing self-control. Although this painting takes the format and grand scale of an altarpiece in a church, it may have been made for a private owner, to decorate a portego (main hallway) in a palazzo.
Provenance1901, anonymous gift to the MFA. (Accession Date: January 9, 1901)