The Mocking of Christ
Jan Rombouts South Netherlandish (Duchy of Brabant)
A scene from the Passion of Christ, this window portrays Jesus being mocked and beaten by Roman soldiers. Such depictions of his suffering were very common, as the devout were encouraged to imagine the pain of Christ and the saints and respond empathetically to the close study of their images. Rendered in stained glass, the story would be illuminated by the light that filtered through the window, shaping the sacred space of chapels and cathedrals just as it shaped Christian understandings of the world.