The Gospel Cycle

The Passion of Christ in Painting

Gethsemane to Golgotha: the agony, the betrayal, the scourging, the crown of thorns and the road to Calvary.

46 paintings of Christ, dated 1500–1913. Painters with the most works here: Lucas Cranach the Elder (3), Nikolai Ge (3) and Titian (3).

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The Passion begins at the entry into Jerusalem and runs through the Last Supper, the garden, the arrest, the trial and the mocking. It is the section of the story that was designed to be walked past rather than looked at once: these are the scenes that became the Stations of the Cross, and their compositions carry that use — figures close to the picture plane, few distractions, one clear action per panel.

Works with documented connections

Jesus mocked by the Soldiers Source for this connection
The Disrobing of Christ Source for this connection