Scourging of Christ 1700 - 1740

Aureliano Milani made this pen and brown ink drawing, "The Scourging of Christ," sometime in the late 17th to mid-18th century. Milani was working in a period of evolving artistic and religious expression. The image is a study for a painting, a deeply felt rendering of suffering and violence. But it also reflects the social hierarchies inherent in religious narratives. We see Christ, vulnerable and exposed, at the center, surrounded by figures of power and brutality. Consider the gaze of the men whipping Christ, the clear relish of the act. And consider what it means to see the body of Christ subjected to violence. Milani doesn’t shy away from the physical reality of the scourging, but the drawing also opens a space to contemplate the narratives of power, sacrifice, and redemption.