Christ Bearing the Cross

The subject of Christ carrying the cross along the Via Dolorosa to Golgotha is the most frequent in Frangipane’s known works. There are nine surviving versions which display some compositional variations, as in two the figures are represented full-length while in the remaining paintings Christ is depicted half-length accompanied by some figures, such as executioners, Mary Magdalene or St Veronica.

This canvas is one of the few signed and dated paintings by Niccolò Frangipane.