Monday, March 21, 2016

Stations of the Cross: The Tenth Station, Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments *

Jacquemart and Workshop, Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments
From the Grandes heures de Jean de Berry
French (Paris), c. 1409
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Latin 919, fol. 70r









All four Evangelists indicate that, before being nailed to the cross, the garments worn by Jesus were removed.   This makes sense.  In an era where every item of clothing was handmade, garments were relatively valuable.  It didn’t do to waste them, even if worn and bloodstained.  




Furthermore, stripping the victim before crucifixion was a further humiliation and, for Jews an especially horrifying one.  Public nudity in the gymnasium had been one of the causes of the Maccabee rebellion against the Hellenized Seleucid dynasty about 200 years previously (1 Maccabees: 14-15).











All of the evangelists agree that, after having removed His clothing and crucified Him, the guards played a game of dice to see which of them would get what items.  


Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments
French, 15th-16th Century
Wissembourg, Church of Saints Peter and Paul



Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments
From Speculum animae (in Catalan)
Spain (Valencia),  c. 1475-1500
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Espagnol 544, fol. 33v




Guillaume Hugueniot, Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments
From Hours of Pierre de Bosredont
French (Langres), c. 1460-1470
New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
MS G 55, fol. 128r



However, John modifies this somewhat to say that they divided most of the clothing up into four equal parts, and cast lots only for the tunic which was woven in one piece (John 19:23-25).



This part of the Passion narrative has not received much artistic attention.  I was able to find only a handful of images showing Jesus being disrobed.  The earlier images tend to portray the violence of the encounter of Jesus with the guards who strip him.  



El Greco, Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments
Greco-Spanish, c. 1600
Budapest, Szépmûvészeti Múzeum





Anonymous, Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments
French (Amiens), c. 1600-1640
Amiens, Musée de Picardie
In this image Jesus is being stripped at the same time as He is being nailed to the cross.




Frans Francken II, Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments
Belgian, 1620
Private Collection
At the right soldiers are pulling off His clothing



Scarsellino, Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments
Italian, 1685
Boston, Museum of Fine Arts
In this picture one group of soldiers roughly removes Jesus' clothing, while another group digs the hole for the cross.




Giandomenico Tiepolo, Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments
From Stations of the Cross
Italian, 1749
London, British Museum




Giovanni Battista Loreti, Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments
Italian, 1758
Fabriano, Church of Santa Lucia



Later images tend to focus more on the resulting display of naked flesh.


Mattheus Ignaius van Bree, Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments
Belgian, 1820
Private Collection




Gustave Moreau, Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments
French, 1862
Paris, Musée du Louvre



Joseph Guntermann, Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments
German, c. 1908-1916
Augsburg, Capuchin Church of Saint Sebastian




Eric Gill, Jesus Is Stripped of His Clothes
English, c. 1913-1918
London, Westminster Cathedral



Paul Alexandre Alfred Leroy, The Tenth Station
French, 1915
Autun, Musée Rolin



George Devallieres, Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments
French, c. 1933-1934
Autun, Musée Rolin




Bernard Naudin, Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments
French, 1936
Paris, Centre national d'art et de culture Georges-Pompidou

Christ on the Cold Stone

In addition, during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, artists from the Netherlands (including modern day Belgium) produced a series of unusual images, known in English as “Christ On the Cold Stone”.  These devotional images show the disrobed figure of Jesus seated on a stone.  The original intent seems to have been to show Jesus midway between the end of his journey to Calvary and his actual nailing to the cross.  To this end He is shown seated at Calvary or at least outdoors.  


Pseudo Jan Wellens de Cock, Calvary
Dutch, c.1520
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum



Circle of Joos van Cleve, Christ on the Cold Stone with Donor
Flemish, c. 1520-1530
Private Collection



However, the similarity of this image to that of the Man of Sorrows 1 quickly overwhelmed the original intent and the background of the image became less and less specific until any suggestion of an outdoor setting is gone.  


Jan Gossart, Christ On the Cold Stone
Flemish, 1527
Budapest, Szépmûvészeti Múzeum



Jan Gossart, Christ On the Cold Stone
Flemish, c.1530
Valencia, Colegio Real del Corpus Christi



Cornelis Corneliszoon van Haarlem, Christ On the Cold Stone
Dutch, 1600
Private Collection



Hendrik de Clerck, Christ On the Cold Stone
Flemish, c.1600
Private Collection



Hendrick Goltzius, Christ On the Cold Stone with Two Angels
Dutch, 1602
Providence, Rhode Island School of Design Museum



Anonymous, Christ on the Cold Stone
Flemish, First Half of 17th Century
Private Collection



Vicenete Carducho, Christ in Comtemplation on the Cold Stone
Spanish, c. 1625-1650
Private Collection


Gaspar de Crayer, Christ On the Cold Stone With Two Angels
Flemish, c. 1649-1656
Private Collection



Anonymous, Christ On the Cold Stone
French, c.1650
Private Collection


This image enjoyed some popularity from the beginning of the sixteenth century till about the middle of the seventeenth and disappeared thereafter. 

© M. Duffy, 2016.  Updated and additional images added 2023.

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       1.  The chief difference between the two similar images is that in “Christ On the Cold Stone” Jesus is as yet unmarked.  He has not yet been nailed to the cross and therefore his hands, feet and side are whole.   The “Man of Sorrows”, on the other hand, shows Jesus with the nail holes and pierced side.  For the “Man of Sorrows”, please see http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2012/04/meditation-on-passion-man-of-sorrows.html


Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition© 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.






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