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The Flagellation of Christ
Carlo Maratti (Italian (Roman), 1625–1713)
1655-57
Medium/Technique
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
143.5 x 122.2 cm (56 1/2 x 48 1/8 in.)
Credit Line
Henry H. and Zoe Oliver Sherman Fund
Accession Number1983.387
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsEurope
ClassificationsPaintings
In this painting, made for a private chapel in Sant'Isodoro Agricola in Rome, Maratti brings together two dominant trends in 17th-century Italian art. Christ's idealized nude body reflects an emphasis on classical prototypes, while the theatrical lighting and his tormentor's dynamic pose create the drama desired to intensify the impact of religious images.
Provenance1655/1657, Chapel of the Crucifixion, Church of Sant'Isidoro, Rome (original commission); about 1809-1814, removed from the church [see note 1]. Rosario Scuderi Bonaccorsi (b. 1762 - d. 1838), Catania, Sicily. By about 1978, Mario Tazzoli (dealer, d. 1990), Turin; by 1978, sold by Tazzoli to P. and D. Colnaghi, London [see note 2]; sold by Colnaghi, London to Colnaghi, New York; 1983, sold by Colnaghi to the MFA. (Accession Date: October 12, 1983)
NOTES:
[1] Maratti was commissioned by Costanza Pamphili Ludovisi to decorate the chapel of the Crucifixion, for which he executed frescoes, the altarpiece (depicting the Crucifixion) and two flanking canvases showing the Road to Calvary (presently Catedral Nueva, Salamanca) and this Flagellation. During the Napoleonic occupation of Rome the canvases were removed from the church and dispersed. See A. Mezzetti, "Contributi a Carlo Maratti," Rivista dell'Istituto Nazionale d'Archeologia e Storia dell'Arte n.s., IV (1955): 335, no. 101 and Stella Rudolph, "The Torbido Illustrations and some Considerations on Engravings after Carlo Maratta," Antologia di Belle Arti 7/8 (1978): 192, 200 n. 10. [2] The picture was included in the exhibition "Paintings by Old Masters" (Colnaghi, London, 1978), cat. no. 31.
NOTES:
[1] Maratti was commissioned by Costanza Pamphili Ludovisi to decorate the chapel of the Crucifixion, for which he executed frescoes, the altarpiece (depicting the Crucifixion) and two flanking canvases showing the Road to Calvary (presently Catedral Nueva, Salamanca) and this Flagellation. During the Napoleonic occupation of Rome the canvases were removed from the church and dispersed. See A. Mezzetti, "Contributi a Carlo Maratti," Rivista dell'Istituto Nazionale d'Archeologia e Storia dell'Arte n.s., IV (1955): 335, no. 101 and Stella Rudolph, "The Torbido Illustrations and some Considerations on Engravings after Carlo Maratta," Antologia di Belle Arti 7/8 (1978): 192, 200 n. 10. [2] The picture was included in the exhibition "Paintings by Old Masters" (Colnaghi, London, 1978), cat. no. 31.