The Flagellation, from The Passion (c. 1480): Artwork and History

The Flagellation, from The Passion (c. 1480) is in the Art Institute of Chicago collection. The museum lists its creator attribution as Israhel van Meckenem, the younger German, c. 1440/45-1503.

The work and its context

The Art Institute of Chicago describes the work:

Prolific engraver and copyist Israhel van Meckenem produced this original Passion series without recourse to prints by contemporaries such as Martin Schongauer or Master E. S. Although these prints are compositionally complex, his figures remain rooted in the Gothic style. This sensibility is particularly evident in the violence of the Flagellation scene, in which Christ’s torturers wield their implements vehemently. A much-collected series, The Passion survives in at least 40 complete sets, some hand colored and some even gilded.

Object facts

• Title: The Flagellation, from The Passion
• Date: c. 1480
• Artist attribution: Israhel van Meckenem, the younger German, c. 1440/45-1503
• Place of origin: Germany
• Medium: Engraving in black on cream laid paper
• Dimensions: Sheet trimmed within platemark: 20.2 × 14.4 cm (8 × 5 11/16 in.)
• Type: Print
• Department: Prints and Drawings
• Reference number: 1956.829

Collection credit

Bequest of Mrs. Potter Palmer, Jr.

View the original

Explore the artwork in the Art Institute's collection, including its image and the museum's current catalogue details.

The description above is credited to the Art Institute of Chicago and reused under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0; HTML formatting has been converted to plain text. Other catalogue metadata and the public-domain image are provided under CC0 1.0.