COLLECTION NAME:
The AMICA Library
Record
AMICA ID:
CMA_.1981.52
AMICA Library Year:
2002
Object Type:
Sculpture
Creator Nationality:
Germany, Cologne, 14th century
Creator Name-CRT:
Germany, Cologne, 14th century
Title:
Crucified Christ
Title Type:
Primary
View:
Full View
Creation Date:
c. 1380-1390
Creation Start Date:
1375
Creation End Date:
1395
Materials and Techniques:
walnut (once polychromed)
Classification Term:
Sculpture
Dimensions:
Overall: 41.6cm x 36.85cm
AMICA Contributor:
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Owner Location:
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
ID Number:
1981.52
Credit Line:
Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund
Provenance:
(Galerie A. Raphael, Vienna, Austria).
Context:
The striking impression this figure imparts is the intent to vividly represent the sufferings of the Redeemer. It is the moment after his death: the drooping head on a frail neck is a rigid mask of agony, the eyes are nearly shut, the mouth is ajar, the forehead crowned by heavy and gouging thorns is drawn with pain. The elongation of the body is emphasized by the emaciated chest with protruding ribs, depressed abdomen, and bony limbs.The resulting sense of frailty and utter pathos is augmented by the heavy strands of hair which uncurl not ungracefully alongside the tormented face and by the conspicuous physicality of the loincloth folds which break the inexorable downward verticality of the body. The sculpture belongs to a group of emotion inspiring crucifixes and pietas carved in the Middle-Rhine region for over a century beginning about 1300, examples of which are principally found in the city of Cologne, and important pilgrimage and religious center known in the Middle Ages as the town of a hundred spires.
Related Image Identifier Link:
CMA_.AM20021557.tif
