Flagellation of Christ

The Flagellation of Christ by Master L. Cz., in the Louvre, is among the relatively rare surviving works by this anonymous German-influenced master identified only by a monogram. The Flagellation — Christ bound to a column while soldiers scourge him — was a standard station of the Passion cycle, given particular prominence by Piero della Francesca's famous interpretation. This German-area master's version brings late Gothic expressive intensity to the scene, the anonymous quality of the signature suggesting a workshop master who produced panels for French or German church patrons in the late 1480s.

Christ is bound centrally while soldiers on either side raise their whips. Master L. Cz. uses a compressed architectural space that creates claustrophobic intensity. The soldiers' grimaces and exaggerated poses reflect the late Gothic expressionistic tendency, contrasting with Italian Renaissance composure in treatments of the same subject.