A Renaissance Polychrome Carved Wood Roundel Depicting Christ Crowned with Thorns

A mid-sixteenth-century Renaissance carved softwood devotional roundel depicting the head of Christ crowned with thorns, retaining extensive original polychrome decoration. The composition presents Christ almost entirely frontally, his elongated face framed by deeply carved, flowing locks of hair and a full, elaborately modelled beard. Fine streams of blood descend from beneath the crown of thorns, while his lowered eyes and composed expression convey a sense of quiet suffering.

The sculptural treatment is particularly accomplished in the delicate modelling of the facial features and the carefully articulated strands of hair and beard. The head is set against a green painted ground, enclosed within a moulded circular border retaining red and gilded decoration. The surviving polychromy preserves the intended contrast between the naturalistic flesh tones, darker hair and richly coloured framing.