The Flagellation of Christ,
oil on panel, 89 x 68 cm, framed

Provenance:
Collection of Eugen von Miller-Aichholz (1835–1919), Vienna;
sale, Wawra, Vienna, 5 December 1921, lot 655;
Collection Gustav Hobraeck, Neuwied, Germany;
sale, Lempertz, Cologne, 20 May 2006;
sale, Dorotheum, Vienna, 11 June 2012, lot 171;
Private collection, Vienna

Ernst Buchner wrote about the present painting: ‘The strict symmetry of the arrangement and the antiquated rigidity of the gestures lend this work a monumental impression. An austere seriousness emanates from the blood-splattered body and Christ’s sorrowful face. The extensively applied colours of Christ’s body and the henchmen’s costumes shine forth from the twilight of the bare, box-shaped room. The figures, which seem to have been carved from single blocks, are reminiscent of wooden sculptures; on the other hand, in its entirety this generous composition resembles a fresco, due to its sober and simple accents. One can feel that Italy is close, but it is not close enough that one could speak of an immediate influence of Italian art […]. However, this Flagellation does not yet betray the strong Netherlandish impact that would make its way into German painting around 1460–80.’

The present Flagellation of Christ was originally part of a larger polyptych, several further panels of which were simultaneously sold at auction by the dealer Wawra: The Annunciation to the Virgin (lot 656), Christ Carrying the Cross (lot 657), The Death of the Virgin (lot 658), and Four Scenes from the Life of a Saint (Nicholas ?) (lots 659–662).