The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 19, 2024
The Flagellation
16th century
Location: not on view
Description
Although not exact copies, the compositions of both this bronze plaque and drawing derive from the Laocoön group, an ancient marble sculpture unearthed in 1506 in Rome. The nearly life-size statue of the Trojan priest Laocoön and his sons battling giant sea snakes quickly became a source of inspiration for artists. They especially appreciated the emotional anguish and physical strain portrayed by the struggling male nudes. In The Flagellation, the sculptor Moderno adopted Laocoön’s pose and muscularity for the suffering figure of Christ, thereby presenting him as an athletic and virtuous hero. Pordenone’s drawing of a man entwined by two serpents seems to be his own expressive version of Laocoön.- Ruetschi, Zurich.Blumka Gallery (New York, New York), sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1967.
- Gods and Heroes: Ancient Legends in Renaissance Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26-December 31, 2017).Year in Review: 1967. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 29-December 31, 1967).
- {{cite web|title=The Flagellation|url=false|author=Moderno|year=16th century|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1967.150