Scènes de la Vie du Christ : Flagellation.

The Flagellation of Christ was among the most demanding subjects in the Passion cycle, requiring the painter to render both violence and enduring dignity simultaneously. In Mariotto di Nardo's panel from the Petit Palais sequence, Christ is bound to the column while tormentors raise their instruments — the standard composition that would be followed by generations of Florentine and Italian painters. The Flagellation carried particular devotional weight in the late medieval period, when contemplation of Christ's physical suffering was believed to kindle compassionate identification. The scale of this panel suggests it formed part of a predella designed for intimate contemplation rather than large public display.

Tempera and gold leaf on panel. The bound figure of Christ at the column provides a central vertical axis around which the tormenting figures are arranged in approximate symmetry. Colour contrasts — pale skin of Christ against darker garments of tormentors — direct the viewer's attention without overt theatrical staging.