Christ at the Column

ca. 1754–56

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 533

This captivating statuette was carved by eighteenth-century Austrian sculptor Johann Baptist Hagenauer. The haunting composition captures Christ in a position of imminent collapse, breathing a last sigh of exhaustion after the flagellation. Theatrically animated small alabaster figures like this one were intended for private devotion. Meant to provoke compassion, they were widely appreciated for the stone’s luminosity and skin-like appearance.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Christ at the Column
Artist: Johann Baptist Hagenauer (Austrian, Ainring near Freilassing 1732–1810 Vienna)
Date: ca. 1754–56
Culture: Austrian, Vienna
Medium: Alabaster, polychromed and gilded
Dimensions: Overall (confirmed): 7 7/8 × 5 1/8 × 3 3/8 in. (20 × 13 × 8.6 cm)
Classification: Sculpture
Credit Line: Gift of Sascha Mehringer and Filippo Benappi, in honor of Luke Syson, 2017
Object Number: 2017.285
Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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