Stained Glass Panel with the Road to the Calvary. Flemish, 19th century A.D. or earlier In late 15th century style, showing nimbate Jesus falling under the weight of the cross, wearing a crown of thorns, led to Calvary by three men-at-arms, two of whom wearing full plate armour while the third, now barely visible, can only be seen in his yellow robe and pink cap; Flemish inscription below ‘DE KRUISDRAGING JESUS’ (Jesus wears the Cross) in uncial letters; some restoration. Cf. similar images in the 15th century Flemish painting ‘De kruisdraging van Christus’, Bosch, 1498, in Madrid, Royal Palace, in Graham Hitchins, S., Art as History, History as Art, Jeronimus Bosch and Pieter Bruegel the Elder assembling knowledge not setting puzzles, 2014, Nijmegen, figs.19, 20. 4.5 kg, 65 x 53.5 cm (25 1/2 x 21 in.). [No Reserve]

From a war-damaged church in Belgium. Ex property of a late Northumberland collector. From a private collection, Derbyshire, UK. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.

The scene represents the tragic moments of the Passion according to the Christian tradition, when Jesus succumbed under the weight of the cross. The episode is not in the Gospels, however, in the three synoptics it is noted that the three soldiers requested Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross in place of Jesus. Interestingly, the artist here painted the soldiers in contemporary armour (sallet, complete armour for breast, arms and legs), giving a good chronological element for the dating.

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