Keywords

Germanic Passion diptych, compassionate co-suffering, devotional meditation

Abstract

A little-known Germanic Passion diptych from the late fifteenth century—comprised of the Atlanta Christ Carrying the Cross and the Chicago Crucifixion—was recently reunited, foregrounding a complex interchange of compassionate co-suffering between the two panels. The figures of Christ and the Virgin turn and twist their eyes and faces, balancing their attention between different points of empathetic contemplation within and without the frames. As they engage with the beholder and with one another, they encourage meditation on the Holy Face of Jesus by manipulating mental images in a repetitive cycle of foresight, hindsight, and exegetical reflection.

Original Publication Citation

“Cycles of Memory and Circular Compassion in a Germanic Passion Diptych.” Journal of Historians of Netherlandish Art 10.1 (Winter 2018) DOI: 10.5092/jhna.2018.10.1.1 Available at https://jhna.org/articles/cycles-memory-circular-compassion-germanic-passiondiptych/