Piero Della Francescas Flagellation Of Christ Analysis

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In the previous paper I provided a visual analysis of Piero della Francesca’s Flagellation of Christ (fig. 1) and briefly discussed some interpretations made by renowned scholars. Within the discussion; I provided a brief preview of the iconography, symbolism, and narrative of this extraordinary Renaissance painting. The purpose of this paper is to take a closer look at the iconography of Piero della Francesca’s Flagellation of Christ and consider how the iconography of this artwork provides us with details about the function and symbolism of the piece. Due to the fact that “there is no documentation for this small panel” and many aspects about it are unknown, there are a plethora of interpretations about the iconography of this painting. Keeping this in mind, this paper will focus on the iconographic interpretations that hold the most credibility. Let’s begin with what is seen.
“The New Testament scene of Jesus and his Flagellators has been ostensibly relegated to the background while three other figures, whose collective identity there is no consensus, have been cast forward into the prominence of the foreground.” Although it is assumed that the flagellation of Christ would be the primary narrative; that scene is in the background, …show more content…

This interpretation also allows us to shed light on another unknown figure in the background who is wearing a grey tunic and matching turban. This figure is watching the flagellation so his face is not shown. Although his face is not shown, this figure can be identified as Murad II. Murad II was the Ottoman Sultan from 1421 to 1451 and during his reign he fought against the Christian feudal lords of Balkans for over 25

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