Man of Sorrows

The Master of San Pietro in Sylvis, named after frescoes in the church of San Pietro in Sylvis near Ravenna, painted this Man of Sorrows around 1322 as part of the vibrant Riminese school of Gothic painting. The Man of Sorrows — Christ shown as a suffering figure displaying his wounds — became an increasingly important devotional image type in the early fourteenth century, emphasizing personal empathy with Christ's Passion. The panel is now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Painted in egg tempera on panel with gold ground, the half-length Christ figure displays the expressive emotional intensity characteristic of the Riminese school. The rendering of Christ's wounds and suffering expression reflects the Franciscan devotional emphasis on compassionate meditation upon the Passion.