Attributed to Domingo Martínez

Attributed to DOMINGO MARTÍNEZ (Seville, 1688 - 1749).
"The flagellation".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Measurements: 39 x 58 cm.
This work represents one of the most dramatic episodes of the Passion of Christ: the Flagellation, moment previous to the crucifixion in which Jesus is punished by order of the Roman authorities. The composition shows Christ tied to a low column, following an iconography widely spread in Spanish Baroque painting, the figure of Christ occupies the center of the representation, becoming the main visual and spiritual focus of the work. The posture of the body, subjected to torment but clothed in a profound dignity, conveys a feeling of resignation and sacrifice that constitutes one of the fundamental features of Baroque religiosity.
Due to its stylistic characteristics, the canvas can be related to the circle of Domingo Martínez, an outstanding representative of the Sevillian school of the 18th century. The work shows the influence of the pictorial tradition inherited from the great Andalusian Baroque school, especially Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, whose religious sensitivity and gentle treatment of the figures left a deep mark on the production of Martínez and his followers.
Trained in Seville under the tutelage of Lucas Valdés, Domingo Martínez developed a brilliant artistic career linked to important religious and decorative commissions. His production achieved great recognition in his time, being demanded by prominent ecclesiastical institutions of the city and maintaining contact with the French painters of the court of Philip V during the latter's stay in Seville. The diffusion of his models through his workshop and his numerous disciples favored the appearance of works by followers who continued his artistic language, within whose orbit this painting can be placed.
The work stands out for its devotional character and for the narrative intensity typical of Sevillian religious painting of the 18th century. The combination of contained dramatism, expressiveness and spiritual sense makes this representation of the Flagellation a significant example of the persistence of Baroque ideals in the field of Andalusian sacred painting.