The Man of Sorrows by Roberto Oderisi

This panel painting is believed to have been painted by Roberto Oderisi around 1354 in Naples, Italy [1, 2]. Of the Italian Man of Sorrows images, we look at this one first for its intriguing mix of the Byzantine and the Italian. We immediately recognize common conventions in the Man of Sorrows iconography. Christ is depicted with his head tilted to his right side and with his eyes closed. The Cross lies behind the half-length body of Christ, although Christ’s hands are folded on his chest. Moreover, not only do the hands each contain a wound of Christ, but they also draw attention to a third one.

If one was told only these features of Oderisi’s painting, one would not be able to distinguish it from the Byzantine examples described previously. However, this panel in many ways adds to the existing Byzantine iconography and alters it in a distinctly Italian manner. First, almost all of the Arma Christi, or weapons of the Passion, are depicted throughout the panel, as are select scenes from the Passion [3, 4]. The inclusion of these symbols and scenes conveniently provides a narrative background for the central Man of Sorrows image, which does not itself represent an event in the Bible. In addition, there are other figures portrayed in the panel besides Christ. For instance, Mary and St. John are shown standing in his tomb in a state of grief [5]. This tomb is much more gracefully executed than in folio 167v of the Karahissar gospels. It seems to be thoughtfully incorporated into the layers of the painting: the Arma Christi and a sleeping guard are in front of the tomb, Christ and his accompanying figures are inside, and the Cross lies behind. Intriguingly, the Crown of Thorns on Christ’s head, which was not seen in the earlier images we examined, does not appear here simply because of the move from Byzantium to the Italian peninsula. Instead, its appearance is a product of time. The Crown of Thorns is a common feature in post-1300 Man of Sorrows images [6].

The medium of Oderisi’s painting is distinctly Italian. The panel is made from poplar, which is a standard choice for medieval panel paintings in Italy [7, 8]. There is also an extensive use of gold leaf, such as on the elaborate halos. This is in keeping with the Italian styles of the late medieval period [9].

The panel is believed to come from the main altarpiece of the Santa Maria Incoronata church in Naples [10, 11]. Therefore, we can say that it was used for devotional purposes and, moreover, that people who regularly attended services would have repeatedly viewed it. The Man of Sorrows image, particularly in combination with the Arma Christi, would have motivated churchgoers to share in Christ’s suffering [12]. Furthermore, the transfigured image of Jesus at the apex of the painting would have inspired faith in salvation.

1. Harvard Art Museums, “The Man of Sorrows,” object files, accessed October 19, 2016.

2. Bernard Berenson, “A Panel by Roberto Oderisi,” Art in America 11 (1923), 72-75.

3. “Arma Christi,” in Grove Encyclopedia of Medieval Art and Architecture (Oxford University Press, 2013), www.oxfordreference.com.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/view/10.1093/acref/

9780195395365.001.0001/acref-9780195395365-e-141?rskey=7EbBrI&result=141.

4. Gertrud Schiller, The Passion of Jesus Christ, vol. 2, Iconography of Christian Art, trans. Janet Seligman (London: Lund Humphries, 1971), 213.

5. Schiller, Passion of Jesus Christ, 213.

6. Schiller, Passion of Jesus Christ, 200.

7. Harvard Art Museums, “Man of Sorrows.”

8. Jennifer Meagher, “Italian Painting of the Later Middle Ages,” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, last modified September 2010, www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/iptg/hd_iptg.htm.

9. Irma Passeri, “Gold coins and gold leaf in early Italian paintings,” in The matter of art: Materials, practices, cultural logistics, c. 1250-1750, ed. Christy Anderson, Anne Dunlop, and Pamela H. Smith (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2015), 102-103.

10. Harvard Art Museums, “Man of Sorrows.”

11. David Wilkins, “Review of I pittori alla corte Angioina di Napoli, 1266-1414, e un riesame dell' arte nell'età fridericiana by Ferdinando Bologna,” The Art Bulletin 56 (1974), 129.

12. Schiller, Passion of Jesus Christ, 191-198.