Crucifixion with St Dominic Flagellating Himself (Cell 20)

This is the fresco on the wall of Cell 20 of the Convento di San Marco in Florence.

Over the course of the commission for decoration of the dormitory, Fra Angelico’s direct participation in painting the frescoes seems to have diminished, while that of Benozzo Gozzoli and his other assistants increased. This is especially evident in the images of the Crucifixion with St Dominic in the novices’ cells 17 an 20 of the south corridor, on which construction began in 1441. The frescoes were completed in only two days each. They seem to have been painted almost entirely by Benozzo Gozzoli, as is evident in the linear description of Christ’s idealized anatomy, especially his ribcage, and the uninflected modelling of Dominic’s habit.