The Flagellation

Albrecht Dürer

National Gallery of Art

This is a print showing a scene with a group of people gathered around a column in an architectural setting. The column is to the right of center, and a man is tied to it, facing the left, his arms wrapped around the column and bound together with rope. The man is nude except for a small cloth tied around his waist, and he has a beard and long, curling hair. Two men stand on either side of him, holding up long objects and raising them above the tied man. More people stand on the left, looking on. These onlookers wear tall turbans and long, flowing robes. Another long object similar to the others is on the ground near the bottom left corner. The background shows tall walls and curved ceilings, with an arch on the left showing the edge of a building and trees under a blank sky.