Christ as the Man of Sorrows

Although the attribution of this pathos-inspiring depiction of Christ as the Man of Sorrows remains a mystery, it was almost certainly painted by an artist working in either what is today Emilia-Romagna or Lombardy. A number of parallels can be found with works like the painting of the same subject given to Jacobello del Bonomo (National Gallery, London), an artist who spent part of his career in Rimini. The painting equally recalls in some ways the works of Vitale da Bologna, which, as in the case of the artist’s Crucifixion (Thyssen-Bornemisza Museo Nacional, Madrid), Pietà with Saints (Fondazione R. Longhi, Florence) and frescoed Crucifixion (Basilica di San Martino, Bologna) display a similar interest in the highly stylised depiction of the emaciated Christ’s torso.