Jan Gossaert, called Mabuse - Christ on the Cold Stone
Regular price €12.000Follower of Jan Gossaert, called Mabuse (1478-1532)
Christ on the Cold Stone
oil on oak panel
late 16th century
24.3 x 17.4cm (9 9/16 x 6 7/8in)
Provenance:
Private Collection, The Netherlands for at least 70 years.
Condition:
The painting has undergone an extended period of restoration by our conservator. A horizontal crack in the panel has been repaired and retouched. The work is now in very good condition overall. The frame has also been restored, with its original patina carefully preserved.
Essay:
This striking devotional image, painted by a follower of Jan Gossaert, represents one of the most influential compositions of the Northern Renaissance: Christ on the Cold Stone, or Christ as the Man of Sorrows. The present work dates from the late 16th century and is based on a now-lost original by Gossaert from 1527, which survives only through numerous workshop versions and copies. One of the finest of these is housed in the National Museum in Kraków.
Jan Gossaert, also known as Mabuse (after his birthplace Maubeuge), was one of the first Netherlandish artists to travel to Rome, and a key figure in the development of Romanism—a Northern response to the Italian Renaissance. His work combined Italianate classicism with Northern attention to detail and texture, often set within grand architectural frameworks. This composition exemplifies the pathos and psychological intensity for which he became renowned.
Here, Christ is shown seated on a stone, wearing the crown of thorns, his hands bound, and his body bruised. The raw physicality of his suffering is juxtaposed with a haunting serenity in his gaze. Around him, mocking figures lean in—each rendered with individualized, almost grotesque features—enhancing the emotional impact of the scene.
The composition proved immensely popular in Gossaert’s time and well beyond, inspiring countless versions by his workshop and followers. As noted by M.J. Friedländer (Early Netherlandish Painting, 1972, vol. VIII, pp. 31 and 92, no. 14, pl. 22), the original work from 1527 became a prototype for devotional reflection on Christ's Passion, and this version preserves the depth and drama of the master’s invention.
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