In the foreground, Christ is depicted full-length, wearing a crown of thorns. He is shown from the left side, slightly turned. He sits leaning forward on a stone pedestal beneath a round, dark brown column situated to his right, behind him. His arms are bent slightly at the elbows and rest on his thighs. His hands are clasped between his parted knees. His legs are crossed at the ankles so that the left calf tucks behind the right. He rests his left foot, turned toward the viewer, on top of the right, which is set on the pedestal. His head, crowned with thorns, is gently raised, his dark eyes cast upward. His long brown hair recedes into the shadows. His cheeks are flushed, and his full lips, framed by a beard, are slightly parted.

Christ is nude; soft muscles are visible on his torso and arms. Only a white perizonium covers his thighs. The cloth is draped around his hips, as is typical in depictions of the crucified Christ. On the painting, the left end of the cloth hangs down onto the pedestal to the right of his legs. Its corner hangs just above an inscription written in uppercase letters: IOANNES MALBODIV(S) INVENIT. Along the right edge of the same pedestal on which Christ sits appears the date 1527.

In Gossaert’s original, Christ is full of melancholy and calm. He awaits the beginning of His Passion, foreshadowed by the column behind Him, at which He will be scourged.

Below and behind Christ and the pedestal stand three figures: two on the left and one on the right, behind the column. All of them have a slightly darker complexion than Christ. The figure at the far left is an elderly man dressed in a blue cloak with long sleeves. He stands at a slight angle, making his right profile more visible. He has short grey hair at the back of his head, while the top and front are bald. His face is flushed, with creases on his cheeks and fine wrinkles around his eyes. He has a curved nose and large eyes, which he directs toward Christ’s hands. His left hand, partially visible behind Christ’s leg, rests against his chest at heart level, holding his headgear. The drooping red cap has lost its shape, taking on a somewhat bag-like form. His right arm is gently bent, the hand emerging slightly from behind the pedestal at about waist height, with the fingers slightly curled.

To his right stands another figure, perhaps somewhat younger. He wears a light green, wide medieval-style cap. The upper part of the cap is gathered into regular folds, giving it a bulbous form. The lower part, visible beneath the green fabric, is red and extends below the ears. The figure wears a dark green garment with a deep neckline, fastened at the left shoulder. His head is tilted slightly upward and to his right. He gazes at Christ’s face, his lips slightly parted. Both he and the older man have somewhat caricatured facial features. Behind these two figures, in shadow, is a window. Through it, against a bright blue sky, appears a light-grey classical portico—an entrance to a building topped with columns.

The third figure, behind the column on the right, is a bearded man. He wears a blue cloak similar to that of the man on the left. On his head is a tall white cap. His gaze, too, is directed toward Christ. This figure is set against a dark background.

Audio description: Agata Lech
Consultation: Adrian Wyka
Content consultation: Miłosz Kargol