The ''Man of Sorrows'' is a 1532 painting by the Dutch Golden Age painter

Maarten van Heemskerck Maarten van Heemskerck or ''Marten Jacobsz Heemskerk van Veen'' (1 June 1498 - 1 October 1574) was a Dutch portrait and religious painter, who spent most of his career in Haarlem. He was a pupil of Jan van Scorel, and adopted his teacher's Ital ...

in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent. It shows the

Man of Sorrows Man of Sorrows, a biblical term, is paramount among the prefigurations of the Messiah identified by the Bible in the passages of Isaiah 53 ('' Servant songs'') in the Hebrew Bible. It is also an iconic devotional image that shows Christ, usuall ...

. The subject depicts Christ after the crucifixion attended by angels, with wounds prominently displayed, wearing the

crown of thorns According to the New Testament, a woven crown of thorns ( or grc, ἀκάνθινος στέφανος, akanthinos stephanos, label=none) was placed on the head of Jesus during the events leading up to his crucifixion. It was one of the in ...

and a

loincloth A loincloth is a one-piece garment, either wrapped around itself or kept in place by a belt. It covers the genitals and, at least partially, the buttocks. Loincloths which are held up by belts or strings are specifically known as breechcloth or ...

. The loincloth is claimed to be wrapped around an erection, visible to some art historians but not others. Van Heemskerck is not the only Renaissance artist allegedly to depict Christ with an erection (''ostentatio genitalium''), which some scholars interpret as a symbol of his resurrection and continuing power.Steinberg, Leo. ''The Sexuality of Christ in Renaissance Art and in Modern Oblivion''. Chicago: University Of Chicago Press, 1997. . Other versions of Christ crowned with thorns by Heemskerck are: File:Maarten van Heemskerck 019 interior 01.jpg, Triptych ''Ecce Homo'' File:Maarten van Heemskerck 020.jpg, '' Christ Crowned with Thorns'' File:Christus als man van smarten Rijksmuseum SK-A-1306.jpeg, ''Christ as Man of Sorrows'' File:Maarten van Heemskerck - Jesus op de koude steen.jpg, ''Christ in Agony''

References

1532 paintings Paintings of Christus Dolens Angels in art Paintings by Maarten van Heemskerck Paintings in the Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent {{16C-painting-stub