Description
The Man of Sorrows is a late work by Sandro Botticelli, painted between 1500 and 1510: Christ, crowned with thorns and with his hands bound, looks straight at us out of an almost black ground, while a ring of small angels carrying the instruments of his Passion circles his head. The original, tempera and oil on a wooden panel of about 69 x 51.4 cm, is in a private collection. Our painter paints it for you by hand in oil on canvas, in 8 portrait sizes from 30 x 40 to 120 x 160 cm or made to measure. Before we pack your Man of Sorrows, we send you a photograph of it.
| Title: | The Man of Sorrows |
| Other titles: | Cristo dei dolori (Italian title) · Mož bolečin (Slovene title) |
| Painter: | Sandro Botticelli (c. 1445–1510) |
| Year painted: | 1500–1510 |
| Original size: | about 69 cm x 51.4 cm (height x width) |
| Original technique: | Tempera and oil on panel |
| Painting style: | Early Renaissance |
| Located at: | Private collection |
| Our reproduction: | Hand-painted in oil on canvas, 8 sizes or made to measure |
The Man of Sorrows – Sandro Botticelli
What does The Man of Sorrows show?
Botticelli shows Christ at half length, fully frontal, his brown eyes holding ours. His long auburn hair, parted in the middle, falls over his shoulders in waves and curls. On his head is a crown of grey-green thorny branches, and small red traces of blood show on his forehead and cheeks.
He wears a red robe with soft, deep folds. A gold-embroidered band edges it at the neck, with letters written along it. His arms are crossed on his chest, wounds are visible on his hands, and grey ropes are wound tightly around both upper arms and his wrists.
Behind his head an arc of small angels in pale, almost grey tones looks carved in stone. At the top they hold a little wooden cross, on the left a spear and a ladder, and at the sides the other instruments of the Passion. The ground behind them is dark and empty.
What do the angels and the objects around Christ mean?
Christ appears crowned with thorns and tied with rope, as was usual for this type of devotional image. Around him angels carry the Arma Christi, the instruments of the Passion, and the small cross above his head recalls the crucifixion itself.
Each object stands for a moment of the Passion: the ladder used to take Jesus down from the cross, the spear of Longinus that pierced his side, the pillar he was bound to while he was whipped, the nails that fastened him to the cross, the pincers that later drew them out, and the sponge the Roman soldiers dipped in vinegar and offered him before he died.
In the medieval Christian view, these were the means by which Jesus defeated Satan, and here angels lift them around his head like a bright halo.
Why is this painting so well known?
The Man of Sorrows belongs to Botticelli’s late period after 1492, when he was strongly influenced by the Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola, who then ruled the life of Florence.
For decades it passed as a workshop piece. Only in 2009 was it reattributed to the master himself, and in 2010 it was shown in the exhibition Botticelli: Likeness, Myth, Devotion at the Städel Museum in Frankfurt.
Infrared analysis revealed a drawing for a Madonna and Child beneath the paint. Botticelli turned the panel round and painted Christ on it, so the abandoned drawing lies upside down underneath.
Before its sale at auction in New York the work toured Hong Kong, Los Angeles, London and Dubai, and it drew attention around the world. The Wikipedia article on the painting, in English, tells more of its history.
Where is the original today?
The original belongs to a private collection.
It has been in private hands since the 19th century, when it was owned by the celebrated opera singer Adelaide Kemble. One of her descendants sold it at auction in 1963 as a work of Botticelli’s workshop rather than of the master.
Sandro Botticelli, born Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi around 1445 in the Florentine district of Borgo Ognissanti, was the son of a tanner. He trained under Filippo Lippi, painted his great mythologies for the Medici circle in the 1480s and died on 17 May 1510.
The Man of Sorrows or another Botticelli?
The Man of Sorrows is a canvas painting for anyone who wants a quiet image of faith. Its upright format suits a bedroom, a study or a prayer corner.
From the same years after Savonarola comes Mystic Crucifixion, where an angel raises a sword above Florence and a woman in red clasps the foot of the cross. Just as late and devout is Lamentation over the Dead Christ (Milan), in which Joseph of Arimathea holds up the very crown of thorns and nails above the mourners.
The Portrait of a Young Man Holding a Roundel is also in a private collection; the young man in blue meets our eye just as directly, though he was painted some twenty years earlier. For the young Botticelli, see Saint Sebastian of 1474, who bears the arrows calmly.
All the famous Botticelli paintings our painters make to order are on the Sandro Botticelli page.
How do we hand-paint The Man of Sorrows?
Botticelli’s original is not an oil painting on canvas: it is tempera and oil on a wooden panel about 69 cm high and 51.4 cm wide. Ours is a Sandro Botticelli reproduction painted by hand in oil on canvas, layer by layer, so it can travel rolled in a tube, stretched on a stretcher bar or already framed.
The painter first lays in the dark ground, then builds up the face, with its warm skin, shadowed eyes, beard and drops of blood under the thorns. The curling hair and the red robe follow; last, with a fine brush, come the ropes, the gold neckband and the tiny angels with their instruments.
Which size suits which wall?
In short: up to 45 x 60 cm for a bedroom or prayer corner, 58 x 75 cm for a calm wall above a chest of drawers, 66 x 87 cm and up for a living room or larger space.
We paint The Man of Sorrows in 8 portrait sizes (width x height): 30 x 40, 40 x 52, 45 x 60, 58 x 75, 66 x 87, 84 x 110, 91 x 127 and 120 x 160 cm. The original panel measures about 51.4 x 69 cm (width x height). The 30 x 40, 40 x 52 and 45 x 60 cm sizes are therefore smaller, 58 x 75 cm is a little larger, and every size from 66 x 87 cm up is larger.
Centred on one face, it works even small: at 40 x 52 cm the angels read from a step away. As a painting for the living room it comes into its own from 84 x 110 cm up, above a sofa or a fireplace.
Can you paint another size, and which frame should I choose?
Yes. In other proportions Christ and the ring of angels stay whole, so the oil painting reproduction still shows the complete image; we adjust only the dark ground at the edges. Send us the size you have in mind and we will reply with a price and a completion date.
It comes rolled, or stretched and framed by our workshop in Slovenia. The moulding is chosen in our 3D app, which serves for frame choice alone; seeing The Man of Sorrows on your own wall is a separate service. A slim gilded or dark wooden frame suits the red robe and the black ground.
When will your Man of Sorrows arrive?
The Man of Sorrows is ready for dispatch 15 to 45 working days after you confirm the order. Once it is finished we send you a photograph and make any changes before packing.
Your Man of Sorrows crosses no customs within Slovenia and the rest of the EU, and our returns policy covers every order.
For Easter, or for a person of deep faith, it is a thoughtful gift; if you are unsure of the size, give a gift voucher and let them choose.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the original of this painting?
In a private collection; it has been in private hands since the 19th century.
What do the angels around Christ’s head hold?
The instruments of the Passion: cross, ladder, spear, pillar, nails, pincers and sponge.
Is it a print?
No. It is a hand-painted copy, with every curl and every angel brushed in by our painter.
How large is the original?
About 69 x 51.4 cm (height x width); our 58 x 75 cm size is a little larger.
Can you paint The Man of Sorrows in a size that is not listed?
Yes. Tell us the width and height you need and we will quote for The Man of Sorrows with a date.
How long does The Man of Sorrows take to paint and ship?
15 to 45 working days until dispatch; your Man of Sorrows then travels rolled, stretched or framed.
Will the painting suit a bedroom?
Yes. Its dark ground and calm face suit the space above a bed.
Is the painting really by Botticelli?
It was long given to his workshop; in 2009 experts reattributed it to the master.
- Subject: Christ crowned with thorns and with bound hands, a ring of angels with the instruments of the Passion around his head.
- Original: tempera and oil on panel, 1500–1510, about 69 x 51.4 cm, private collection.
- Ours: hand-painted in oil on canvas, 8 sizes from 30 x 40 to 120 x 160 cm, or made to measure.
- Worth knowing: an upside-down drawing for a Madonna and Child lies hidden under the paint.
