3-098-368 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Christ on the cold stone, c1496-c1497. Alternative title: Christ seated on a Cold Rock. A totally naked Christ sits awaiting death on Golgotha, beside the empty cross and the garments stripped from him by the executioners. This is one of the earliest known examples in painting of this biblical episode. He has no loincloth, its function being fulfilled by the position of his legs and bound hands. The rope around his neck, the crown of thorns, his face lost in thought with a tormented expression, and his body tense, awaiting the hour of death so that Redemption may be consummated - all these elements make this work an image of devotion.