Victim's Eye View

[Eulalia]

Yes, that ended with a rather similar note of doubt:
http://www.cruxforums.com/xf/resources/eulalia-christa-new-illustrated-edition.432/

 

[Jollyrei]

Excellent! I had not seen the illustrated version.

 

[Deleted member jedakk]

In this scene, the executioner's helpers have lifted her patibulum, pulling her upward by her nailed wrists, until she is in a standing position as they pause to change their grip on the patibulum for the final lift. This is the last time her feet will ever touch the ground; a few inches higher, and she will be hanging by her wrists, the first time her full weight has been borne by her impaled wrists.



The executioner's helpers have to take care at this point. With the victim's wrists nailed to the face of the timber, her weight on the nails will make it tend to rotate in their grasp, which could break her wrists. Note also in the first picture how Sabina's left foot is poised so that she can go up on her tiptoes when they begin to lift, so that she can support herself for as long as she possibly can before they make her hang by her wrists.

In the second picture, we can see the top of the stipes above her; this shows how much higher they will lift her in a moment. And in the third picture, the man on the cross next to hers is visible; Sabina will be hanging like him soon.

Here are a couple of close-ups:



And here are some victims-eye views:



In the first one, she's looking a little behind her, where the executioner waits to finish his work. We can also see his helper with his hands braced and ready to lift. In the second picture, Sabina looks at Julia Lepida once again, hoping for mercy even at this point but finding none. And in the third picture, she looks down her naked body yet again. I probably shouldn't keep doing these "looking down" views, but I'm trying to capture what the victim would actually see while being crucified.

 

[Top-Cat]

Top-Cat

 

[phlebas]

And in the third picture, she looks down her naked body yet again. I probably shouldn't keep doing these "looking down" views, but I'm trying to capture what the victim would actually see while being crucified.

And we love it. Don't stop doing this perspective Jedakk, it really helps to put us in the picture, to give us a glimpse of the woman's experience. I wonder where we would look, if we found ourselves in that situation. Down at our helpless body? At the sky as if looking for mercy? At the people, seeing the looks of scorn, lust, pleasure in our ordeal? At the horizon hoping for rescue?

 

[Eulalia]

by coincidence, where she looks, is a theme in the next chapter (5) of Sassi's story,
'A Dream Comes True', I've just sent her the translation, I expect it will be up soon
http://www.cruxforums.com/xf/threads/a-dream-that-came-true-a-story-in-8-chapters.5144/page-2

PS up now!

 

[Deleted member jedakk]

A scene that I had not illustrated before in The Serpent's Eye was the point where they were lifting Sabina's patibulum up with her wrists nailed to it and it reached the instant where her toes were just leaving the ground. I realized that this was particularly significant because up until that point in time, she would have felt some vestiges of normalcy and control. Even though her wrists were nailed and she was no longer able to use her hands, the ground beneath her continued to support her. She could feel it beneath her feet just as always. But when her feet left the ground and she was dangling by her nailed wrists, all of that suddenly changed.

I had to go back and try to capture that instant. Here are a couple of views for context, showing her expression of agonized terror as she strains to reach the ground beneath her, still barely able to touch it with the toes of one foot.



Here's a close-up of her face as her wounded wrists take all of her weight and panic seizes her when she can no longer touch the ground and she's utterly helpless. They can do absolutely anything to her now; she is completely vulnerable.



Looking downward, she would see her naked body and her toes groping for some support.



To her left, her domina watches as Sabina is lifted to hang on her cross.



To her right, the executioner's helper watches appreciatively as he lifts her up. He has seen many such.



And in front of her are onlookers, some looking mildly shocked at the sight of this naked girl being crucified, others grinning or laughing at her terror and suffering.

 

[Barbaria1]

I like this one... completely focused on her feet leaving the ground.... looking down the length of her body ... almost willing that it should not happen.

 

[admihoek]

View attachment 329734 I like this one... completely focused on her feet leaving the ground.... looking down the length of her body ... almost willing that it should not happen.

but you know your friends saying....................I'm a slave..............

 

[danielle926]

View attachment 329734 I like this one... completely focused on her feet leaving the ground.... looking down the length of her body ... almost willing that it should not happen.

This one is incredible really. It's like she would be stretching out her toes to stay in contact with the ground. Almost trying to grab the ground with them in a desperate attempt to keep from being lifted...

 

[Top-Cat]

Top-Cat

 

[Deleted member jedakk]

Ok, where was I? The two big Nubians lift the patibulum higher, pulling Sabina up by the nails in her wrists, her first real taste of the agony of hanging with all of her weight on the nails. As her feet leave the ground for the last time, she writhes in agony, screaming in pain and terror, feet scrabbling for some purchase on the rough wood of the stipes,

As we see her in these pictures, the two Nubians are positioning the beam above the tenon at the top of the stipes, preparing to lower it into place. The crowd watches with a variety of expressions, some in sympathy for her suffering, some unmoved by her strident screams, and some watching her struggle lustfully. Here are some pictures for context:



In the second one above you can see the entire crowd who have come to watch her crucifixion. Here's a closeup of her face:



And here are the views from the victim's perspective:

 

[thehangingtree]

Ok, where was I? The two big Nubians lift the patibulum higher, pulling Sabina up by the nails in her wrists, her first real taste of the agony of hanging with all of her weight on the nails. As her feet leave the ground for the last time, she writhes in agony, screaming in pain and terror, feet scrabbling for some purchase on the rough wood of the stipes,

As we see her in these pictures, the two Nubians are positioning the beam above the tenon at the top of the stipes, preparing to lower it into place. The crowd watches with a variety of expressions, some in sympathy for her suffering, some unmoved by her strident screams, and some watching her struggle lustfully. Here are some pictures for context:



In the second one above you can see the entire crowd who have come to watch her crucifixion. Here's a closeup of her face:



And here are the views from the victim's perspective:

Your depiction of the 'crowd' is probably closer to scale of those than that are depicted at such a place. Well done...

 

[Deleted member jedakk]

Your depiction of the 'crowd' is probably closer to scale of those than that are depicted at such a place. Well done...

Well, they are actually about all I can safely manage without slowing my computer down to a crawl. With all of those figures in the scene the Poser file is up to almost 2Gb.

 

[thehangingtree]

Well, they are actually about all I can safely manage without slowing my computer down to a crawl. With all of those figures in the scene the Poser file is up to almost 2Gb.

While I don't doubt the computer issues I doubt 'back in the day' thousands would show up for a few criminals' and slaves' executions, especially since it hardly seems a rare occurrence at the site depicted.

Tree

Goodnight all

 

[Deleted member jedakk]

Also meant to point out in the first picture above the executioner standing by to the right, hammer and a pair of nails ready to nail her feet. As agonizing as this part of her punishment is, it's about to get much worse.

 

[Deleted member jedakk]

While I don't doubt the computer issues I doubt 'back in the day' thousands would show up for a few criminals' and slaves' executions, especially since it hardly seems a rare occurrence at the site depicted.

Tree

Goodnight all

I absolutely agree. A pretty young girl might get them to walk up the street to watch, but for the most part I think the people who watched were those who happened to be passing by and were curious enough to stop for a few minutes to watch, read the sign, and walk on probably saying to themselves that the asshole deserves what he/she is getting. I doubt very much that everyone would drop what they're doing to come and see.

 

[Wragg]

I absolutely agree. A pretty young girl might get them to walk up the street to watch, but for the most part I think the people who watched were those who happened to be passing by and were curious enough to stop for a few minutes to watch, read the sign, and walk on probably saying to themselves that the asshole deserves what he/she is getting. I doubt very much that everyone would drop what they're doing to come and see.

Most of the people about would have got a thrashing from their masters for stopping to gawp at a crucifixion.

 

[Deleted member jedakk]

Hmm.. But then lots of people came to watch hangings, beheadings, burnings and such a thousand and more years later in Europe and the Americas. The only big difference is that later cultures may not have had the arena and blood sports available as an outlet for their lusts as did the Romans.

And while I've shown Sabina's crucifixion taking place outside the Esquiline gate at the Sessorium, kind of away from the busy interior of Rome, it probably wasn't as quiet of a place as it might appear. The road that passed through the place carried a lot of traffic from areas to the east. Quintilian, who lived during the period where Sabina's story is set, said "whenever we crucify the guilty, the most, crowded roads are chosen, where most people can see and be moved by this fear. For penalties relate not so much to retribution as to their exemplary effect."

Right away that tells us a lot about the philosophy behind Roman crucifixion practice. It didn't serve the intended purpose unless it was seen by many, so they optimized the "exemplary effect" of it by placing the victim where the most people would see, not necessarily as a large crowd, but as passers-by on their daily business who might stop briefly to watch, then move on.

 

[Wragg]

Hmm.. But then lots of people came to watch hangings, beheadings, burnings and such a thousand and more years later in Europe and the Americas. The only big difference is that later cultures may not have had the arena and blood sports available as an outlet for their lusts as did the Romans.

And while I've shown Sabina's crucifixion taking place outside the Esquiline gate at the Sessorium, kind of away from the busy interior of Rome, it probably wasn't as quiet of a place as it might appear. The road that passed through the place carried a lot of traffic from areas to the east. Quintilian, who lived during the period where Sabina's story is set, said "whenever we crucify the guilty, the most, crowded roads are chosen, where most people can see and be moved by this fear. For penalties relate not so much to retribution as to their exemplary effect."

Right away that tells us a lot about the philosophy behind Roman crucifixion practice. It didn't serve the intended purpose unless it was seen by many, so they optimized the "exemplary effect" of it by placing the victim where the most people would see, not necessarily as a large crowd, but as passers-by on their daily business who might stop briefly to watch, then move on.

OK, Jedakk, since you put it that way, maybe I'll risk just a teeny little peek!