Our Lord is standing with his head turned to dexter, tied to a doric column, flanked by tormentors. One is holding a whip above his head, the other one has a rope in both hands and is about to execute a blow. They are both wearing peasant tunics. On the base is an 18^th century silver cartouche shaped plaque engraved Car. Caget S.R.E. Prbr Card Stampa, Ss. Me'd E'ccle Arch, and with the arms of the cardinal besides it, quarterly, a castle and crowned eagle.

There has been considerable debate concerning the attribution of this Flagellation group, which has at various points been attributed to two of the leading figures in Baroque Rome, Alessandro Algardi (b. 1598 - d. 1654) and François du Quesnoy (b.1597 - d.1643). The group exists in two types, in which the figure of Christ is always consistent but the pair of flagellators are different. In light of Bellori's attribution of a pair to du Quesnoy[1] and the notation in Ercole Ferrata's inventory of a pair by the same artist[2], Jennifer Montagu has suggested that one of the types originated with Algardi and the other du Quesnoy.

Further more, two similar flagellators from the palazzo Schifanoia (Ferrara) are published in Weihrauch (op. cit. pl. 444 b&c) and were attributed to the Meister der Genrefiguren.

Provenance

Carlo Gaetano Stampa (1667-1742), Cardinal and Archbishop of Milan

Literature

V.Golzio, Lo ‘Studio’ di Ercole Ferrata, Archivi, II, (1935).

J.Montagu,“A Flagellation Group: Algardi or du Quesnoy?”, Bulletin des Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, (1966-7), pp. 153-193.

M.Heimburger Ravalli, Alessandro Algardi Scultore, (Rome – 1973).

G.P.Bellori, Le Vite de' pittori, scoltori e architetti moderni, E.Borea (ed.), (Turin – 1976)

J. Montagu, Alessandro Algardi, (New Haven and London – 1985).