FLAGELLATIONPiero’s most enigmatic painting is Flagellation
of Christ(FIG. 21-43), a small panel painting perhaps also produced
for Federico da Montefeltro. The setting for the New Testament drama
is the portico of Pontius Pilate’s palace in Jerusalem. Curiously, the fo-
cus of the composition is not Christ but the group of three large fig-
ures in the foreground, whose identity scholars still debate. Some have
identified the bearded figure as a Turk and interpreted the painting as
a commentary on the capture in 1453 of Christian Constantinople by
the Muslims (see Chapter 12). Other scholars, however, identify the
three men as biblical figures, including the Old Testament’s King
David, one of whose psalms theologians believed predicted the con-
spiracy against Christ. In any case, the three men appear to discuss the
event in the background. As Pilate, the seated judge, watches, Christ,
bound to a column topped by a classical statue, is about to be whipped
(FIG. 21-1). Piero’s perspective is so meticulous that the floor pattern
can be reconstructed perfectly as a central porphyry (purple marble)
circle with surrounding squares composed of various geometric
shapes. Whatever the solution is to the iconographical puzzle of Piero’s
Flagellation,the panel reveals a mind cultivated by mathematics. The
careful delineation of the setting suggests an architect’s vision, cer-
tainly that of a man entirely familiar with compass and straightedge.572 Chapter 21 ITALY,1400 TO 1500Piero planned his compositions almost entirely by his sense of the ex-
act and lucid structures defined by mathematics. He believed that the
highest beauty resides in forms that have the clarity and purity of geo-
metric figures. Toward the end of his long career, Piero, a skilled geo-
metrician, wrote the first theoretical treatise on systematic perspective,
after having practiced the art with supreme mastery for almost a life-
time. His association with the architect Alberti at Ferrara and at Rim-
ini around 1450–1451 probably turned his attention fully to perspec-
tive (a science in which Alberti was an influential pioneer) and helped
determine his later, characteristically architectonic compositions. This
approach appealed to Federico, a patron fascinated by architectural
space and its depiction.Mantua
Marquis Ludovico Gonzaga (1412–1478) ruled the court of Mantua
in northeastern Italy (MAP19-1). A famed condottiere like Federico da
Montefeltro, Gonzaga established his reputation as a fierce military
general while commanding the Milanese armies. The visit of Pope
Pius II (r. 1458–1464) to Mantua in 1459 stimulated the marquis’s de-
termination to transform Mantua into a city that all Italy would envy.21-43Piero della Francesca,Flagellation of Christ,ca. 1455–1465. Oil and tempera on wood, 1 111 – 8 2 81 – 4 . Galleria Nazionale delle Marche,
Urbino.
The identification of the foreground figures continues to elude scholars. They appear to discuss the biblical tragedy that takes place in Pilate’s palace
(FIG. 21-1), which Piero rendered in perfect perspective.1 in.21-43APIERO
DELLAFRANCESCA,
Resurrection,
ca. 1463–1465.
21-43BPIERO
DELLAFRANCESCA,
Legend of the
True Cross,
ca. 1450–1455.