Un'aggiunta al catalogo di Guariento: il Cristo passo già Seligmann

The article is devoted to an exquisitely painted Christ as the Man of Sorrows. Substantial stylistic evidence supports the attribution to Guariento of this previously unpublished panel, that until recently was kept in a private collection with the wrong attribution to Giovanni Baronzio. Its careful attention to detail, the richly decorated gold ground, the purposefully delineated musculature attest to the exceptional quality of the painting. It dates to c. 1355-1360, when Guariento was the leading painter in Padua. Although nothing is known on the patron, it is tempting to wonder whether it was commissioned by a member of the Paduan élite for his or her personal devotion. Careful reappraisal of iconographical and typological evidence, combined with considerations on the inscription traced on Christ’s porphyry tomb, suggest that rather than been originally part of a bigger altarpiece the painting was instead conceived as an independent object to be held in its patron’s hands. More in particular, it was likely used as a devotional figurative device during the recitation of the Pater Noster.