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| Andrea da Firenze, The Crucifixion of Jesus Italian, c. 1365-1368 Florence, Santa Maria Novella, Cappella Spagnuolo, Upper Portion |
"There they crucified him, and with him two others,
one on either side, with Jesus in the middle."
(John 19:18)
Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ According to John – Excerpt from Gospel Reading for the celebration of the Friday of the Passion of the Lord (Good Friday)
The subject of the Crucifixion is one of the most difficult of all subjects to write about because it is so ubiquitous. Scenes of the Crucifixion have abounded in almost every Christian culture and time period. I can only touch on some of the varying ways that it has appeared in this article.
Somewhat surprisingly, given its central importance, the Crucifixion as an iconographic subject was a bit late in getting started. This is, perhaps, not astonishing, when one recognizes that it was not until the late 4th century, following the conversion of Constantine and the declaration that Christianity would be the religion of the Roman Empire, that crucifixion was suppressed as a punishment within the Empire.
The earliest known appearance of a direct reference to it is found in the wooden doors of the church of Santa Sabina in Rome.
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| 4th Century Wooden Doors Late Antique, c. 430-432 Rome, Basilica of Santa Sabina |
They are original to the church, which was built in the 5th century and are dated to 430-432, or roughly a generation and a half from the suppression of the punishment. Further, the image from Santa Sabina is more schematic than realistic. Christ stands between the two thieves, His image larger than theirs because of His greater importance. However, His face is immediately recognizable, already set in the way it would be seen thereafter. No crosses are in evidence. Only the extended arms of the three figures suggest the subject matter. They stand in front of what appears to be a series of walled, pedimented spaces. The survival of these fragile, precious, late antique doors is an amazing gift from the past to us.
Like the subject of the Carrying of the Cross and many of the other subjects associated with the Sorrowful Mysteries, the images of the Crucifixion tend to fall into three main themes: the narrative, the devotional and a group of hybrid images.
There are scenes that are principally narrative, giving an overview, more or less realistically, of the words in the Gospel accounts of the Passion. These scenes include the figures traditionally believed (based on the Gospels) to have been present at Calvary: the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, St. John the Evangelist, and other possible women disciples. They may also include soldiers, members of the Sanhedrin, local citizens and the occasional donor portrait.
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| Duccio di Buoninsegno Italian, c. 1308-1311 Siena, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo |
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| Giotto di Bondone Italian, c. 1304-1306 Padua, Scrovegni (Arena) Chapel
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| Masolino da Panicale Italian, c. 1428-1430 Rome, Basilica of San Clemente |
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| Piero della Francesca, from Polyptych of St. Augustine Italian, c. 1460 New York, Frick Collection |
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| Donatello Italian, 1465 Florence, Museo Nazionale del Barghello |
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| Veit Stoss German, c. 1477-1478 Cracow, Church of St. Mary |
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| Maerten van Heemskerck Dutch, c. 1545-1560 St. Petersburg, State Hermitage Museum |
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| Tintoretto Italian, 1565 Venice, Scuola di San Rocco |
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| Pieter Brueghel the Younger Dutch, 1617 Budapest, National Museum |
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| Franz Anton Maulbertsch Austrian, 1758 Suemeg, Parish Church |
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| Costantino Brumidi Italian, c. 1870-1880 New York, Church of the Holy Innocents |
There are also devotional images, stripped of narrative or background elements. In these we may see the figure of Jesus alone, displayed solely for our meditation and prayer or in company with one other figure who acts as an observer, as our surrogate. Such an image may be found in a prayer book, a devotional book or a liturgical book. It may even be a painting, either large or small. It appears early and persists alongside the narrative mode.
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| Page from Sacramentary of Charles the Bald French, c. 870 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 1141, fol. 6v |
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| Giovanni Bellini Italian, c. 1501-1503 Private Collection |
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| Lucas Cranach the Elder German, 1536 Washington, D.C., National Gallery of Art |
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| Anthony van Dyck Flemish, c. 1622 Venice, Church of San Zaccaria |
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| Francisco de Zurbaran Spanish, 1627 Chicago, Art Institute |
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| Bartolome Murillo Spanish, 1675 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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| Salvador Dali Spanish, 1954 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
And then, there is a third, hybrid, category. These images seem to be compounded of the devotional image writ large. They are stripped of much of the narrative elements, but may include other figures. Most importantly, they are on a larger scale than that of the true devotional image. Often they are altarpieces. One might think of them as a series of “just the facts” images.
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| Byzantine Ivory Plaque Byzantium, c. 950 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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| Apse Mosaic Italian, c. 1130s Rome, Basilica of San Clemente |
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| Masaccio Italian, c. 1426 Naples, Museo Nazionale di Copdimonte |
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| Rogier van der Weyden Flemish, c. 1445 Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum |
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| Andrea del Castagno Italian, c. 1455 Florence, Church of Sant'Apollonia |
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| Raphael Sanzio, Citta di Castello Altarpiece Italian, 1502 London, National Gallery |
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| Matthias Gruenwald, Isenheim Altarpiece (center, first face) German, c. 1515 Colmar, Musée d'Unterlinden |
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| Lucas Cranach the Younger German, 1555 Weimar, Stadtkirche Sankt Peter und Paul
This painting, known as the Weimar Triptych, illustrates that, at the beginning, the Reformation retained many features of the past, even while introducing new interpretations. |
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| Annibale Carracci Italian, 1583 Bologna, Church of Santa Maria della Carità |
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| Simon Vouet French, 1622 Genoa, Church of the Gesù |
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| Hendrick Terbrugghen Dutch, c. 1624-1625 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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| Francesco Conti Italian, 1709 Florence, Church of San Lorenzo |
The Crucifixion offers much to think about. It should not be glossed over. For, if Jesus did not die this cruel and bitter death, there would be no resurrection. “And if Christ has not been raised your faith is vain; you are still in your sins. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are the most pitiable people of all.” (1 Corinthians 15:17-19)
It is through the Crucifixion that we reach the Resurrection.
© M.
Duffy, 2013
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible,
revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine,
Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights
Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form
without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
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