Plate Depicting Christ’s Passion

c. 1510

attributed to Painter of the Royal Procession

(Italian)

Culture

Italy, Florentine region, Cafaggiolo

Medium

tin-glazed earthenware (maiolica)

Measurements

Diameter: 29.2 cm (11 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1943.55

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Location

118 Italian Renaissance

Did You Know?

During the Renaissance, scenes from the Christian Bible were prominently featured on maiolica, covering the surface in a style called istoriato (decorated with stories).

Description

The painted scenes on this plate depicting the Passion of Christ include the betrayal of Jesus by his disciple Judas (right); the arrest and condemnation by the Jews (left); the bearing of the cross (top); the Crucifixion (middle); and the resurrection (bottom). At least one of the scenes (the condemnation or the Scourging at the Pillar) is based on a Florentine woodcut from the devotional writings of Girolamo Savonarola (1452–1498).