CRUCIFIX
wood, carved and polychromed
This Christ on the Cross presents an image of severe nobility. In the stylization of the anatomy, specifically in the design of the abdomen and the chest but also in the face, one can see traces of the Romanesque tradition, and these clearly date it as a work from our glorious 1300s.
This dramatic sculpture was at one time probably the central element of a frescoed wall or a painted panel depicting Calvary, perhaps placed between the a suffering Virgin Mary and Saint John. It most likely has had several details, in particular the loincloth and the more realistic musculature of the legs, reworked at a later date, reflecting a more modern Renaissance sensibility. The suffering intonation and the solemn concentration of this suggestive crucifix, accentuated by the Christ’s head almost resting on his chest and by the relaxed posture of the feet, show certain similarities to sculptures made in Umbria and the Marches, suggesting that the maker could have been a sculptor active in central Italy during the second half of the 1300s.
Central Italy, 14th century
cm 145 height