Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head… John 19:1-2

This is the brief account of the flagellation of Christ, and the subject this dramatic painting. Based on the style and composition we consider it to be from the workshop of Frans Francken the Younger, who lived from 1581 to 1642 and led one of Antwerp’s leading workshops during the first half of the 17th Century.

This is not a large painting, but there is a lot happening in this rich and colourful composition on a copper plate.

The artist takes us into the middle of the action, with Christ’s body already bloodied from the soldiers’ lashes and his haloed head bloodied from the Crown of Thorns. The soldier on the right has grasped Christ’s garment with his left hand, as if to steady Christ’s writhing body as he prepares to land his next blow. And the soldier to the left of Christ seems to have a hint of a smile on his face as he rears back with all his might. With this soldier we clearly see the instrument of Christ’s torture: the Roman flagrum, a whip or scourge with multiple leather straps attached to a wooden handle.

In the background is a group of soldiers holding torches, spears and a two-headed axe. The flames from the soldiers’ torches reach high into the night sky, filling the upper part of the scene and acting as counterpoints to the red garments below. Even as the torches flame above, below it is Christ’s body that is shining; his bloodied head has a bright halo around it, undimmed by his near unconsciousness.

Above to the right we see another group that does not seem to fit in with the rest of the scene. Two men are talking, casually standing behind a balustrade, and seemingly unaware of the flagellation taking place below. The men are dressed in typical 17th Century fashion. In placing them there, the artist will have given the scene an immediacy to his contemporary viewers: they can see themselves there, sixteen centuries before their time.

But there is more to it than that. The painter also brings the flagellation into the present day, challenging his viewers to consider what grave injustices may be happening in their midst, even as they go about their daily lives.

Today another four centuries have passed, and the message still holds: looking at this painting we may well ask ourselves the same question.

Provenance: Private Collection, UK.