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The Man of Sorrows

ca. 1430
On view at The Met Cloisters in Gallery 02

Depicted upright in his tomb, hands extended to display his wounds, this exquisitely rendered Jesus has been conceived as a focus for meditation. A diminutive Saint Francis receives the stigmata and becomes a surrogate for the viewer. Elaborately framed, with the reverse painted to imitate porphyry (a stone with imperial associations) this would have been a precious object of devotion, perhaps for a Franciscan friar. The pattern on the deteriorated background derives from Islamic textiles.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Man of Sorrows
  • Artist: Michele Giambono (Michele Giovanni Bono) (Italian, active Venice 1420–62)
  • Date: ca. 1430
  • Medium: Tempera and gold on wood
  • Dimensions: Overall, with engaged frame, 21 3/4 x 15 3/4 in. (54.9 x 38.7 cm); painted surface 18 1/2 x 12 1/4 in. (47 x 31.1 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1906
  • Object Number: 06.180
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

Audio

Cover Image for 2639. Investigations: The Man of Sorrows, Part 1

2639. Investigations: The Man of Sorrows, Part 1

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More Artwork

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Standing Apostle or Saint, Michele Giambono (Michele Giovanni Bono) (?) Italian, Pen and brown ink, touches of brush and darker brown wash, over black chalk.
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Bartolomeo Vivarini
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The Last Communion of Saint Jerome, Botticelli (Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi) Italian, Tempera and gold on wood
The Last Communion of Saint Jerome
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early 1490s
Madonna and Child, Carlo Crivelli Italian, Tempera and gold on wood
Madonna and Child
Carlo Crivelli
ca. 1480
Madonna and Child Enthroned with Two Angels, Fra Filippo Lippi Italian, Tempera and gold on wood, transferred from wood
Madonna and Child Enthroned with Two Angels
Fra Filippo Lippi
ca. 1440
Madonna and Child, Vincenzo Foppa Italian, Tempera, oil, and gold on wood
Madonna and Child
Vincenzo Foppa
ca. 1480

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