Composition

The Scourging of the Four Crowned Martyrs

      Within the tribunal hall, the Martyrs are depicted with golden haloes and their hands bound behind their backs while being beaten. Lampadius is being strangled by two devils as punishment for ordering the Martyrs to be beaten. Lampadius’s courtiers are watching the events.  Christ is above the tribunal hall where he is sending down “golden rays of divine light”.[1]  The gold is used to emphasize the holiness of the Martyrs and Christ, which sets them apart from the other figures.

      The representation of the figures and the overall balance of the panel is striking because on the right the Martyrs are lined up in an orderly and uniform fashion, whereas on the left there is a feeling of chaos with all the figures acting independently of one another and standing in disarray.  Emphasis is on the dichotomy of good and evil and stressing how justice was perceived between the two.  Roman law was supposed to bring justice, but in the case of the Martyrs, Roman law was unjust.  The higher powers of God had to intervene.  Therefore, Christ is in the upper left, directly above Lampadius on his throne.  This emphasizes that Christ is greater than Roman law.  The roof of the tribunal hall further separates the heavenly from the earthly realms.  Christ and the Church are therefore asserted as being the ultimate bringers of justice. 

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