Adorable in sufferings - the Mocking of Christ by Fra Angelico

Honour and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary – Psalm 96:6

Fra Angelico, The Mocking of Christ (1440-1441)

Blessed John of Fiesole, also known as Fra Angelico, was one of the most prominent Medieval painters in the history of Europe, if not the world. Throughout his nearly 60 years of life on earth, he painted numerous scenes and images depicting the life of Jesus, and the Saints. To celebrate his feast day this week, today will be examining one of his more recognisable pieces, The Mocking of Christ (1440-1441). The image was painted on a cell wall at the Convent of San Marco in Florence, for contemplation and meditation by the cell owner. Interestingly, this painting is more well known for its depiction of St. Dominic than for the depiction of Christ’s mocking. This may be due to it being one of the few depictions of him from the Medieval world, or possibly because it shows an aspect of the soul of St. Dominic that few others have been able to capture.

The painting features three figures: Christ, the Virgin Mary, and St. Dominic. Jesus sits in the centre, in a twisted parody of Him enthroned in glory. Instead, He is subjected to various injustices from the disembodied hands and head which mock Him, in accordance with the Gospel accounts. Two open hands, one showing the back, on the right side of His Face, and another showing the palm, in the lower left, appear to represent the motion of a slap across the face, possibly the ones He received during His trial in the court of Caiaphas, the high priest (Mt 26:67). Another hand holds a stick, to beat Christ with, and the head spits on Him (Mt 27:30). Jesus wears a blindfold (Lk 22:64) and His crown of thorns (Mt 27:29), but His closed eyes are still visible through it, in an expression like that found on the Shroud of Turin. In His hands, Christ holds a reed and some kind of an orb, a mockery of the sceptre and orb of royalty and divine rule which belong to Him.

Below Him in this scene sit Mary and Dominic. The Blessed Mother, while herself not present when the mocking occurred, was nonetheless linked spiritually to her Son in His sufferings. She turns her face away from the scene behind her, with an expression of grief, but her raised right hand is indicative of her trust in divine Providence. In the other corner sits St. Dominic as he reads and meditates on the Gospels. His contemplative expression demonstrates his devotion to study and meditation on the Gospel message, in order that he can communicate this message to others.

Fra Angelico, who was a member of the Dominican Order, obviously had a great devotion to St. Dominic, as he appears in numerous paintings by him, either with the other Saints, or in scenes from the Gospel, as he meditates on the reality of the events we can only read about. In this way, the significance of the Christian painter is explored. The artist makes present and visible for their audience scenes, events, and even emotions, which may have, until now, only existed in some abstract imagining. They are able to demonstrate a kind of hidden reality of God. Just as the invisible God became visible in Jesus Christ (Col 1:15), so the artist makes present aspects of the unseen in a visible manner. It is said of Fra Angelico that he was able to paint Christ because he lived with Christ. We too, whether we are artists or not, should strive to know and live with Jesus Christ, so that we can present Him to a wider audience in His fullness and Beauty. Blessed Angelico, pray for us.