Man of Sorrows (Maarten van Heemskerck)
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The Dutch painter Maarten van Heemskerck (1498-1574) painted the subject of the Man of Sorrows three times. The subject depicts Christ after the crucifixion attended by angels, with wounds prominently displayed, wearing the crown of thorns and a loincloth. The loincloth is claimed to be wrapped around an erection, visible to some art historians but not others. Van Heemskerck is not the only Renaissance artist to depict Christ with an erection, which some scholars interpret as a symbol of his resurrection and continuing power.
The version of Man of Sorrows with erection dates from c. 1525 and is to be found in Steinberg's monograph The Sexuality of Christ in Renaissance Art and Modern Oblivion by Leo Steinberg.
