anoniem (1400)

This tiny altarpiece was designed for private devotional use. It would have been opened during worship, conjuring up the suffering of Christ. The portrayal of the 'Man of Sorrows' was ideal for this purpose: this was a forlorn Christ, bleeding from his wounds, that the viewer would see. The workmanship involves costly materials, using gold and enamel techniques. It was commissioned by someone from the French court: the king himself or one of his noblemen. Very little court art of the period has survived.