Christ Stumbling under the Cross,

The picture takes up a scene from the Passion of Christ: the moment in which Christ collapses under the weight of the cross. Unlike the painting inv. no. 6279, the accent here is on Christ’s suffering on his way to Golgotha. Francken’s choice of a vertical format allowed him to describe the whole spectrum of this brutal and hopeless event. A large group of people accompanies Christ, including both curious spectators and henchmen, whose military superiority Francken emphasises with armed cavalrymen flanking the event and threatening lances looming above the scene. The dark clouds on the upper right contribute to the menacing atmosphere, as does the seemingly endless procession. In addition to the three crosses for Christ and the two thieves on the mountain Golgotha, there are many gallows, transforming the scene of the Crucifixion into an ordinary place of execution that is no less appalling.