Four Paintings

As Christ hangs lifeless from the cross, blood spurts from the wound in his side, one of the Roman soldiers having pierced him with a spear after his death [John 19:34]. Although unnamed in the gospels, this soldier is called Longinus in the popular 13th century text The Golden Legend, which related that Longinus was cured of blindness by the blood from Christ's wound and that he was later baptised. He is usually shown holding his spear, or a small container to hold the drops of Christ's blood.

Longinus came to be identified with the centurion who acknowledges that Christ was the Son of God, as related in St Mark's account of the crucifixion scene,:

And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God. [Mark.15:39]

However, some artists kept the identities of the Centurion and Longinus separate, as Daddi appears to have done in this triptych. For the centurion standing at the right of the cross and gesturing towards Christ does not hold a spear or a container (although there is a spear held by another soldier).