Christ of Pity

Simon Marmion painted this Christ of Pity around 1480, a devotional image type showing the suffering Christ as an object of contemplation. Marmion worked at the intersection of painting and manuscript illumination in the Burgundian Netherlands, and his panel paintings share the jewel-like precision of his miniatures. Active primarily in Valenciennes, he served Burgundian court patrons and local ecclesiastical clients.

Oil on small panel with extraordinary refinement of technique derived from the tradition of manuscript painting. The image of the suffering Christ is rendered with miniaturist precision and deep devotional feeling.