The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 22, 2024

Crucified Christ

Crucified Christ

c. 1340–1350
wood (walnut) once polychromed
Overall: 41.6 x 36.9 cm (16 3/8 x 14 1/2 in.)
Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund 1981.52
Location: 109 Gothic Painting and Sculpture

Description

The striking impression of this figure is the vivid representation of suffering. The sculpture captures the moment after Christ’s death: the drooping head on a frail neck is a mask of agony. The eyes are nearly shut, the mouth is ajar, and the forehead crowned by heavy, gouging thorns is drawn with pain. The elongation of the body is emphasized by the emaciated chest with protruding ribs and bony limbs. The resulting sense of frailty and pathos is augmented by the heavy strands of hair that uncurl alongside the tormented face and by the loincloth folds that break the downward drape of the body. The sculpture belongs to a group of emotional crucifixes and pietas carved in the Middle-Rhine region for over a century beginning around 1300, examples of which are principally found in the city of Cologne. Such sculptures appealed to the Rhenish mystics, who advocated meditation based on the Passion of Christ.
  • (Galerie A. Raphael, Vienna, Austria).
  • Lutz, Gerhard. "Bildewerke des Gekreuzigten Christus zwischen 1350 und 1450 - Versuch einer Neubewertung." In Zeitenwende 1400: Hildesheim als europäische Metropole, 67 -82. Claudia Höhl, Gerhard Lutz and Felix Prinz. Regensburg : Schnell & Steiner GmbH, 2019. Reproduced: p. 9, abb. 7.2
    Becherer, Joseph Antenucci, and Henry Luttikhuizen. Christ Among Us: Sculptures of Jesus Across the History of Art. Grand Rapids, Michigan : William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2022. Mentioned: p. 47; reproduced: p. 46, 126, no.15
  • Splendour and Glory of the Middle Ages: Cologne's Masterpieces from the World's Great Collections. Museum Schnütgen, Cologne, Germany (organizer) (November 4, 2011-February 26, 2012).
    Museum Schnutgen, Cologne (11/4/2011 - 2/26/2012): "Splendour and Glory of the Middle Ages: Cologne's Masterpieces from the World's Great Collections", fig. 112, p. 361.
    Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 7-September 8, 1991).
    The Year in Review for 1981. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 17-March 21, 1982).
  • {{cite web|title=Crucified Christ|url=false|author=|year=c. 1340–1350|access-date=22 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1981.52