Christ in a Dungeon

Jesus Christ is generally depicted wearing a crown of thorns in the last hours of His life on earth. Although there are many different types, thematic variations and manners of execution, the face of Christ is almost always interpreted realistically, with His figure conveyed in a simplistic manner. Western sculpture usually rejects a detailed plastic treatment of the subject. When carving sculptures for churches and chapels, Russian masters bore in mind that the figure of Christ was usually covered in brocade or velvet clothes, with the exception of the head and the hands. The appearance of such new subjects as Christ in the Dungeon in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries met with a mixed reception. Tsars and archbishops often expressed their open hostility, while the patriarch in the seventeenth century and the Holy Synod in the eighteenth century even went as far as to ban the creation and presence of such representations in places of worship. With the passage of time, however, carved sculptures began to reappear in Russian churches and chapels. A typical example was Christ in the Dungeon, also known as the Midnight Saviour, the Suffering Christ and Christ the Veritable.耶稣基督在世间生命的最后时刻，通常被描绘头戴荆冠（crown of thorns）。尽管该题材存在诸多不同表现类型、主题变体与呈现手法，但基督的面部几乎始终以写实手法刻画，其整体形象则以简约风格呈现。西方雕塑通常不会对该题材进行精细化的造型处理。在为教堂与小礼拜堂雕刻宗教雕塑时，俄罗斯工匠始终铭记：基督形象通常身着织锦或丝绒外袍，仅头部与手部裸露在外。17至18世纪，“狱中基督（Christ in the Dungeon）”这类全新题材的作品问世后，引发了褒贬不一的评价。沙皇与大主教们常公开表达反对态度，而17世纪的牧首与18世纪的圣主教公会（Holy Synod）甚至明令禁止在宗教场所创作、陈列这类题材的作品。然而随着时间推移，这类雕刻作品重新出现在俄罗斯的教堂与小礼拜堂中。其中典型代表便是“狱中基督”，该题材亦被称为“午夜救主（Midnight Saviour）”“受难基督（Suffering Christ）”与“真实基督（Christ the Veritable）”。