15th century, Pear wood plaques with The Pentecost and The Flagellation of Christ

15th century The Pentecost and The Flagellation of Christ Two carved pear wood plaques, 16 x 10.5 cm; 17 x 10.5 cm The two works, the subject of this exhibition, are presented as two pear wood plaques, carved with great skill, depicting religious scenes. The first plaque depicts the Pentecost, an episode narrated in the Acts of the Apostles (2:1-11) according to which one day the Holy Spirit descended in the form of tongues of fire upon the Apostles, all gathered in the same place, each of whom began to speak a different language. Although it can be deduced from this reading that the Spirit was bestowed through the risen Christ, he never appears in depictions of the episode. Generally, the tongues of fire are depicted as small flames, as in the case of our work, placed on the heads of the apostles and coming from a dove above, in the center of the composition, a symbol of the Holy Spirit. The frequent presence of the Madonna in the center of the scene, among the Apostles, does not represent a literal reconstruction of the story, in which she is not mentioned, but a theological supposition that has spread among artists over the centuries, linking the episode of Pentecost to the previous one, in which it is said that the Apostles prayed together with other women, including the Madonna. In this case, the Virgin assumes a symbolic value, representing the Church, of which the Apostles are the messengers, similarly to the Ascension. In fact, the Virgin, as can be seen in the plaque, is placed in a raised and central position on a throne, with her hands clasped, covered with a veil, and with her gaze turned towards the dove. In this way, the superiority of the woman over the twelve Apostles is emphasized, who are caught in different and agitated poses that refer to the moment when they received the gift of the Spirit and began to speak different languages all together. Going into more detail, the artist with great skill has carefully carved in low relief the tunics and cloaks of the apostles, placed transversely on the bust, not neglecting the bearded faces, the hands, and even a prayer book placed on the knees of the apostle on the right. Furthermore, the paving of the room and the base of the throne with a central relief have also been completed. The second plaque presents a crucial scene from the Passion of Jesus Christ, narrated in the Gospels: the flagellation, also known as Christ at the column. According to the story, the son of God, after being condemned to crucifixion, was first stripped of his clothes and left with a white loincloth, then tied to a marble column and violently beaten with rods by some torturers. Observing the plaque, Christ, as usually happens in the iconography of the scene, is depicted in the center, leaning against a classicizing column, in a monumental pose to underline his statuary beauty, while the two henchmen on the sides, who raise the rods with violence, ready to hit him, have coarser features in order to allude to their brutality and ferocity. Also in this case, the artist renders the bodies and details in relief, especially the drapery of the tunics, carved with skill, without neglecting the projecting base depicting the barren ground, on which the three characters firmly rest. The pose of the arms, the double point of the beard, and the hair falling on Christ's shoulders may refer to a central model for this iconography: Bramante's Christ at the Column (1480-1490), preserved in the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan. Both plaques are composed playing on different levels, from the more flattened, like the column, to the more prominent like the bodies of the protagonists, thus rendering spatiality. The object is in good condition. With Ars Antiqua it is possible to defer all amounts up to a maximum of €7,500 at ZERO RATE, for a total of 15 INSTALLMENTS. Ex. Tot. €4,500 = Monthly installment €300 for 15 months. Ex. Tot. €3,600 = Monthly installment €720 for 5 months. For amounts exceeding €7,500 or for a longer deferral time (over 15 installments), we can provide a customized payment. Contact us directly to get the best quote. LIVE TV – SUNDAY 19.00 – 23.00 Dig.terr. 126 + 809 SKY - THURSDAY 21.00 - 24.00 Dig.terr. 134 + 809 SKY – Streaming on our website www.arsantiquasrl.com and on our social networks Facebook and Youtube All works offered by Ars Antiqua are sold with a certificate of authenticity in accordance with the law and an accurate in-depth sheet. You can see the works directly at the Milan showroom gallery, in via Pisacane 55 and 57. We personally organize the transport and delivery of the works, both for Italy and abroad.