# Man of Sorrows > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Man_of_Sorrows > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Man_of_Sorrows.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_of_Sorrows > Source revision: 1347857293 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Biblical term and image in Christian art For other uses, see [Man of Sorrows (disambiguation)](/source/Man_of_Sorrows_(disambiguation)). [Meister Francke](/source/Master_Francke): *Man of sorrows, with angels*, c. 1430 German [woodcut](/source/Woodcut) with hand-colouring, 1465–70 **Man of Sorrows**, a biblical term, is paramount among the prefigurations of the [Messiah](/source/Messiah) identified by the Bible in the passages of [Isaiah 53](/source/Isaiah_53) (*[Servant songs](/source/Servant_songs)*) in the [Hebrew Bible](/source/Hebrew_Bible). It is also an iconic devotional image that shows [Christ](/source/Christ), usually naked above the waist, with the wounds of his [Passion](/source/Passion_of_Jesus) prominently displayed on his hands and side (the "[ostentatio vulnerum](/source/Five_Holy_Wounds#In_art)", a feature of other standard types of image), often crowned with the [Crown of Thorns](/source/Crown_of_Thorns) and sometimes attended by angels. It developed in Europe from the 13th century and was especially popular in [Northern Europe](/source/Northern_Europe). The image continued to spread and develop iconographical complexity until well after the [Renaissance](/source/Renaissance), but the Man of Sorrows in its many artistic forms is the most precise visual expression of the piety of the later [Middle Ages](/source/Middle_Ages), which took its character from mystical contemplation rather than from theological speculation.[1] Together with the *[Pietà](/source/Piet%C3%A0)*, it was the most popular of the [Andachtsbilder](/source/Andachtsbilder)-type images of the period – devotional images detached from the narrative of Christ's Passion, intended for meditation. The Latin term *Christus dolens* ("suffering Christ") is sometimes used for this depiction. The *[Pensive Christ](/source/Pensive_Christ)* is a similar depiction, and the usual composition of the *[Mass of Saint Gregory](/source/Mass_of_Saint_Gregory)* includes a vision of the *Man of Sorrows*. ## Biblical narrative The phrase translated into English as "Man of Sorrows" ("אִישׁ מַכְאֹבוֹת‎", *’îš maḵ’ōḇōṯ* in the [Hebrew Bible](/source/Hebrew_Bible), *vir dolōrum* in the [Vulgate](/source/Vulgate)) occurs at verse 3 (in Isaiah 53): 3) He is despised and rejected of men, a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. And we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. 4) Surely He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5) But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed. 6) All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.[2] ## Development of the image The image developed from the Byzantine [epitaphios](/source/Epitaphios_(liturgical)) image, which possibly dates back to the 8th century. A miraculous Byzantine [mosaic](/source/Mosaic) [icon](/source/Icon) of it is known as the ***Imago Pietatis*** or *Christ of Pity*. The work appears to have been brought to the major pilgrimage church of [Santa Croce in Gerusalemme](/source/Santa_Croce_in_Gerusalemme) in Rome in the 12th century. Only replicas of the original work now survive. By the 13th century it was becoming common in the West as a devotional image for contemplation, in sculpture, painting and manuscripts. It continued to grow in popularity, helped by the [Jubilee Year](/source/Jubilee_(Christianity)) of 1350, when the Roman image seems to have had, perhaps initially only for the Jubilee, a papal [indulgence](/source/Indulgence) of 14,000 years granted for prayers said in its presence.[3] *[Man of Sorrows](/source/Man_of_Sorrows_(Geertgen_tot_Sint_Jans))* (c. 1485–95), an especially complex version by [Geertgen tot Sint Jans](/source/Geertgen_tot_Sint_Jans), Dutch, 25 × 24 cm[4] The image formed part of the subject of the [Mass of Saint Gregory](/source/Mass_of_Saint_Gregory); by 1350 the Roman icon was being claimed as a contemporary representation of the vision.[5] In this image the figure of Christ was typical of the Byzantine forerunners of the Man of Sorrows, at half length, with crossed hands and head slumped sideways to the viewer's left. The various versions of the Man of Sorrows image all show a Christ with the wounds of the [Crucifixion](/source/Crucifixion_of_Jesus), including the spear-wound. Especially in Germany, Christ's eyes are usually open and look out at the viewer; in Italy the closed eyes of the Byzantine epitaphios image, originally intended to show a dead Christ, remained for longer. For some the image represented the two natures of Christ – he was dead as a man, but alive as God.[6] Full-length figures also first appear in southern Germany in wall-paintings in the 13th century, and in sculpture from the beginning of the 14th.[7] Other elements that were sometimes included, in distinct sub-forms of the image, included the *[Arma Christi](/source/Arma_Christi)* or "Instruments of the Passion", the cross, a [chalice](/source/Chalice_(cup)) into which blood poured from Christ's side or other wounds (giving an emphasis on the [Eucharist](/source/Eucharist)), angels to hold these objects or support a slumped Christ himself ([Meister Francke](/source/Master_Francke) shows both roles below), and mourners or worshippers.[8] The *[Throne of Mercy](/source/Throne_of_Mercy)* is an image of the [Trinity](/source/Trinity) with Christ, often diminutive, as Man of Sorrows, supported by his Father. Isaiah 53:2 had already been crucial in developing the iconography of the [Tree of Jesse](/source/Tree_of_Jesse): "For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground". ## Artworks with articles - [The Man of Sorrows from the New Town Hall in Prague](/source/The_Man_of_Sorrows_from_the_New_Town_Hall_in_Prague), wood sculpture, c. 1410 - [Petrus Christus](/source/Petrus_Christus), *[Christ as the Man of Sorrows](/source/Man_of_Sorrows_(Christus))*, c. 1450. [Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery](/source/Birmingham_Museum_and_Art_Gallery), England - [Giovanni Bellini](/source/Giovanni_Bellini) and others, [Triptych of the Madonna](/source/Triptych_of_the_Madonna), 1464–1470, now Venice - [Geertgen tot Sint Jans](/source/Geertgen_tot_Sint_Jans), *[Man of Sorrows](/source/Man_of_Sorrows_(Geertgen_tot_Sint_Jans))*, c. 1485–1495, now [Utrecht](/source/Utrecht) - [Sandro Botticelli](/source/Sandro_Botticelli), *[The Man of Sorrows](/source/The_Man_of_Sorrows_(Botticelli))*, c. 1500–1510 - [Maarten van Heemskerck](/source/Maarten_van_Heemskerck), *[Man of Sorrows](/source/Man_of_Sorrows_(Maarten_van_Heemskerck))*, 1532 - [James Ensor](/source/James_Ensor), *[The Man of Sorrows](/source/The_Man_of_Sorrows_(Ensor))*, 1891 ## Gallery - Man of Sorrows - 14th-century depiction of the Man of Sorrows - [Master Francke](/source/Master_Francke), *Man of Sorrows, with the [Arma Christi](/source/Arma_Christi) and Angels*, c. 1430, [Museum der bildenden Künste](/source/Museum_der_bildenden_K%C3%BCnste), [Leipzig](/source/Leipzig) - [Petrus Christus](/source/Petrus_Christus), *[Christ as the Man of Sorrows](/source/Man_of_Sorrows_(Christus))*, c. 1450[9] - [Dieric Bouts](/source/Dieric_Bouts): *Christ Crowned with Thorns*, c. 1470[10] - [Albrecht Dürer](/source/Albrecht_D%C3%BCrer), *The Man of Sorrows*, 1493 - [Lucas Cranach the Elder](/source/Lucas_Cranach_the_Elder), *Christ as the Man of Sorrows* - After [Lucas van Leyden](/source/Lucas_van_Leyden), *Man of Sorrows* - [Donatello](/source/Donatello), *Imago Pietatis*, 1449–50, bronze relief from the high altar of the [Basilica of Saint Anthony](/source/Basilica_of_Saint_Anthony_of_Padua) in [Padua](/source/Padua) - [James Ensor](/source/James_Ensor), *[The Man of Sorrows](/source/The_Man_of_Sorrows_(Ensor)),* 1891 ## See also - [*Messiah* (Handel)](/source/Messiah_(Handel)), which sets a version of the passage from Isaiah - [Our Lady of Sorrows](/source/Our_Lady_of_Sorrows) ## Notes 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Schiller, quote from p. 198, figs. 681–812 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["21st Century King James Version"](http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=29&chapter=53&version=48). *Biblegateway.com*. Retrieved 22 April 2014. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Schiller, 199–200, also see Parshall, 58 and Pattison, 150. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Discussed by Snyder, 176–78 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Parshall, 58. For a somewhat different chronology, see Pattison, 150 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Schiller, 198 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Schiller, 201–202 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Schiller, 201–219 1. **[^](#cite_ref-AN_9-0)** Stewart, Camilla. "[Petrus Christus' 'Christ as the Man of Sorrows'](https://artuk.org/discover/stories/petrus-christus-christ-as-the-man-of-sorrows)". [Art UK](/source/Art_UK), 15 August 2011. Retrieved 26 September 2025 1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** "[Christ Crowned with Thorns: Dirk Bouts](https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/dirk-bouts-christ-crowned-with-thorns)". [National Gallery](/source/National_Gallery), London. Retrieved 26 September 2025 ## Sources Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Man of Sorrows](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Man_of_Sorrows). - Ballester, Jordi (2018). "Trumpets, Heralds and Minstrels: Their Relation to the Image of Power and Representation in the Fourteenth- and Fifteenth-Century Catalano-Aragonese Painting". *Music in Art: International Journal for Music Iconography*. **43** (1–2): 5–19. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [1522-7464](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1522-7464). - Parshall, Peter, in David Landau & Peter Parshall, *The Renaissance Print*, Yale, 1996, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-300-06883-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-300-06883-2) - Pattison George, in W. J. Hankey, Douglas Hedley (eds), *Deconstructing radical orthodoxy: postmodern theology, rhetoric, and truth*, Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2005, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7546-5398-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7546-5398-6), [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-7546-5398-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-7546-5398-1). [Google books](https://books.google.com/books?id=eFDtL8PpkHcC&pg=PA150) - G. Schiller, *Iconography of Christian Art, Vol. II*, 1972 (English translation from German), Lund Humphries, London, figs. 471–75, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-85331-324-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-85331-324-5) - [Snyder, James](/source/James_Snyder_(art_historian)); *Northern Renaissance Art*, 1985, Harry N. Abrams, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-13-623596-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-13-623596-4) v t e Book of Isaiah ספר ישעיהו‎ Sefer Yeshayahu By number Chapter Proto-Isaiah 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 Deutero-Isaiah 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 Trito-Isaiah 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 Verse 7:14 Places Ar-Moab Arabia Aram Arnon Ashdod Assyria Babylon Bashan Bozrah Brook of Egypt Canaan Carmel Chaldea Dibon Dimon Edom Eglaim Egypt Ethiopia Heshbon Horonaim Israel Javan Jazer Jerusalem Kir-Moab Lebanon Lud Medeba Medes Merodach-baladan Moab Nebo Nile Nimrim Noph Ophir Samaria Sela Sharon Shiloah Sodom and Gomorrah Tarshish Pul Tubal Zion Zoan Zoar Terminology All flesh is grass Fiery flying serpent The lamb and lion Leviathan Light unto the nations Maher-shalal-hash-baz Man of Sorrows Pele-joez-el-gibbor-abi-ad-sar-shalom Remnant The righteous perishes Seraph Servant songs Swords into ploughshares Persons Abraham Ahaz Amoz Bel Cyrus David Hephzibah Hezekiah Immanuel Isaiah Jacob Jesse Jotham Judah Merodach-baladan Noah Nebo Pekah Pharaoh Rezin Sargon Shebna Tartan Uzziah Manuscripts Isaiah Scroll 1QIsab Codex Dublinensis Wikisource texts Book of Isaiah (Hebrew) Septuagint (Greek) Vulgate (Latin) Wycliffe / King James / American Standard / World English Bible (English) ← Song of Songs (Song 8) Bible portal Christianity portal Judaism portal Book of Jeremiah (chapter 1) → Authority control databases National United States Israel Other Yale LUX --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Man of Sorrows](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_of_Sorrows) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_of_Sorrows?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.