Picturing the Passion in Late Medieval Italy

This study examines the narrative paintings of the Passion of Christ created in Italy during the thirteenth century. Demonstrating the radical changes that occurred in the depiction of the Passion cycle during the Duecento, a period that has traditionally been dismissed as artistically stagnant, Anne Derbes analyses the relationship between these new images and similar renderings found in Byzantine sources. She argues that the Franciscan order, which was active in the Levant by the 1230s, was largely responsible for introducing these images into Italy. But Byzantine art was not imported for its irresistible attraction, as has previously been argued. Rather, Derbes contends, Byzantine images served as vital models, providing formal and iconographic solutions that could be adapted to the Franciscans’ own spiritual programme.