Crowning with Thorns

he Gospels of *Matthew (27:27-30), *Mark (15:16-19), and *John (19:2-3) describe how Roman soldiers, following Jesus’ sentencing by *Pontius Pilate and *Flagellation, mocked and humiliated Jesus by clothing him in a purple robe, placing a crown of thorns upon his head and a reed sceptre in his hand, and beating and spitting on him. The soldiers scornfully bowed down before Jesus and taunted him as the “King of the *Jews.” This episode precedes the carrying of the *cross to *Calvary and the *Crucifixion. The image appears frequently in medieval art, in various compositional formats. Early examples (e.g., fourth-century sarcophagi) depict Jesus standing calmly while a Roman soldier places a wreath upon his head; this atmosphere of victory and triumph is maintained in some Carolingian and Ottonian illustrations in which the episode is often combined with the carrying of the cross. Jesus may be shown walking in a procession, following Simon of Cyrene, who bears the cross, while a figure approaches Jesus from behind and places a crown of rope and thorns upon his head. By the eleventh century, the   image is often extracted from this sequential narrative and depicts Jesus standing or seated frontally while variable numbers of figures surround him on both sides. They place the crown of thorns upon him, hand him the reed sceptre, or kneel down. They may be shown spitting, with their mouths open. Later medieval examples tend to portray the scene in a less solemn and more violent manner. Jesus remains calm, while the tormentors gesture more actively and beat him with sticks. The presence of the crown of thorns (one of the *Instruments of the Passion) generally differentiates this episode from the earlier, and less frequently represented, *Mocking of Christ by the Jews.