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Piero della Francesca, The Crucifixion
From the Polyptych of Saint Augustine
Italian, c.1460
New York, Frick Collection
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The subject of the Crucifixion of Jesus is a huge one and there are several ways in which an iconographic study of the subject can be approached. In an essay in 2013 I looked at it in terms of narrative and devotional images The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery – The Crucifixion. This year I am going to focus, for the most part, on one point in time, the death of Jesus.
This means that,
with a few exceptions, I will be looking only at images that show Jesus at the
point of death, or just after having died.
All of the Evangelists record that, just before He died, Jesus uttered a
loud cry, though they don’t agree on the exact words spoken. Matthew and Mark agree that He cried “My
God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15: 34). Luke records “Father, into your hands I
commend my spirit” (Luke 23: 46) and John “It is finished” (John 19:
30).
The very earliest images of the Crucifixion, however, approach the subject in a way that is symbolic, rather than naturalistic.
The very earliest images of the Crucifixion, however, approach the subject in a way that is symbolic, rather than naturalistic.
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| The Crucifixion and Suicide of Judas From an Ivory Casket Late Roman, 420-430 London, British Museum |
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| Wood Carving, The Crucifixion Late Roman, 430-432 Rome, Church of Santa Sabina, Entrance Door |
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The Crucifixion
From the Rabbula Gospels
Syrian (Beth Zagba), 586
Florence, Bibliotheca Medicea-Laurenziana
MS. Plut. I. 56, fol. 12v-13r
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The Jesus in these works is not dead, but
very much alive. He is open-eyed and
triumphant over death. This holds true
from the fifth century, when the Crucifixion first appears, till the end of the
eleventh century.
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The Crucifixion
From the Sacramentary of Gellone
Carolingian, 775-800
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Latin 12048, fol. 143v |
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The Crucifixion
From the Sacramentary of Drogo
Carolingian (Metz), ca.850
Paris, Bibliothesque nationale de France
MS Latin 9428, fol. 43v |
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| The Crucifixion From the Gospels of Otto III German (Reichenau), c. 1000 Munich, Bayerisches Staatsbibliothek MS BSB Clm 4453, fol. 250v |
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| The Crucifixion From the Uta Codex German (Reichenau), 11th Century Munich, Bayerisches Staatsbibliothek MS BSB Clm 13601, fol. 3v
In this image Christ appears as both priest and king. He is crowned as a king and wears the stole of a priest. |
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| The Crucifixion From the Book of Pericopes of Emperor Henry II German (Reichenau), c. 1007-1012 Munich, Bayerisches Staatsbibliothek MS BSB Clm 4452, fol. 107v |
It is toward the beginning of the twelfth century that a change begins and Jesus appears dead for the first time. His body slumps to one side; His eyes are closed. This is the image type that would develop into the dead or dying Jesus that we probably think of when we hear the words “Jesus Dies on the Cross”.
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| The Crucifixion Italian, 1130s Rome, Basilica of San Clemente, Detail of Apse Mosaic |
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| The Crucifixion From a Miniatures of the Life of Christ French (Corbie), 1170-1180 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 44, fol. 9v |
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| Hainricus, The Crucifixion From a Gradual, Sequentiary, Sacramentary German (Swabia, Weingarten Abbey), 1220-1225 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 711, fol. 57v |
From the twelfth century this image became ubiquitous and
virtually unchanging whether seen in
Manuscript Illumination
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| Petrus de Raimbaucourt, The Crucifixion From a Missal French (Amiens), 1323 The Hague, Koninklijk Bibliotheek MS KB 78 D 40, fol. 62v
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| Workshop of the Master of the Coronation of the Virgin, The Crucifixion From a Book of Hours French (Nantes), 1402 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 515, fol. 125r
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| The Crucifixion From a Book of Hours French (Paris), 1495 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS H 5, fol. 79r |
or in Wall Painting,
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| Giotto, The Crucifixion Italian, c. 1304-1306 Padua, Arena/Scrovegni Chapel |
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Masolino da Panicale, The Crucifixion
Italian, c. 1428-1430
Rome, Basilica of San Clemente
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or in Panel Painting
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| Duccio, The Crucifixion Italian, c. 1308-1311 Siena, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo |
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| Pietro Lorenzetti, The Crucifixion Italian, c. 1340-1350 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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| Andrea di Bartolo, The Crucifixion Italian, c.1410-1428 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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Jan van Eyck, The Crucifixion
Left panel of a diptych
Flemish, c. 1440-1445
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art
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| Pietro Perugino, The Crucifixion Central Panel of Galitzin Triptych Italian, c. 1481-1485 Washington, National Gallery of Art |
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Hans Baldung Grien, Crucifixion German, 1512 Berlin, Gemäldegalerie der Staatliche Museen zu Berlin |
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| Tintoretto, The Crucifixion Italian, 1565 Venice, Scuola Grande di San Rocco |
or in Sculpture
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| The Crucifixion, Ivory and copper gilt Pax South German, c.1360-1370 New York, Metropolitan Museum, Cloisters Collection
A pax was a small object of precious materials that, during the Middle Ages, was passed from hand to hand among the faithful at Mass in lieu of receiving Holy Communion.
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| Donatello, The Crucifixion Italian, c.1465 Florence, Museo Nazionale del Bargello |
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| Luca della Robbia, The Crucifixion Italian, c. 1465 Impruneta, Church of Santa Maria |
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| The Crucifixion Central panel, Altar of the Cross Flemish, c. 1525-1535 Antwerp, Church of the Assumption |
and whether imagined as broad, heavily populated narrative scenes,
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Pieter Brueghel the Younger, The Crucifixion Belgian, 1617 Philadelphia, Museum of Art |
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Costantino Brumidi, The Crucifixion
Italian-American, c. 1870-1880
New York, Church of the Holy Innocents
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James Tissot, The Death of Jesus
From The Life of Christ
French, c. 1886-1894
New York, Brooklyn Museum
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or in intimate devotional works
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Masaccio, The Crucifixion
Italian, c. 1426
Naples, Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte
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Masters of the Gold Scrolls, The Crucifixion
From a Book of Hours
Belgian (Bruges), c.1430-1440
The Hague, Koninklijk Bibliotheek
MS KB 76 F 25, fol. 14r
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Rogier van der Weyden, The Crucifixion Diptych
Belgian, c.1460
Philiadelphia, Philadelphia Museum of Art
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| The Crucifixion from a Book of Hours Italian (Ferrara), c. 1475-1485 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 187, fol.104r |
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Francesco Granacci, The Crucifixion
Italian, c.1510
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art
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or in those works that I call “hybrid” which, because of scale or for other reasons, lie somewhere between the most intimate devotional images and the full scale narrative works.
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| Matthias Gruenwald, The Crucifixion Central panel of the Isenheim Altarpiece German, c.1515 Colmar, Musée d'Unterlinden |
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| Annibale Carracci, The Crucifixion with Saints Italian, 1583 Bologna, Church of Santa Maria della Carità |
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Hendrick Terbrugghen, The Crucifixion
Dutch, c. 1624-1625
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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| Bartolome Murillo, The Crucifixion Spanish, c. 1675 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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Filippo Luzi, The Crucifixion Italian, c. 1680-1700 Rome, Church of the Madonna dei Monti This is somewhat unusual as it combines a solid, sculpture of the Crucified Christ with painted figures of Mary and John. |
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Francesco Conti, The Crucifixion
Italian, 1709
Florence, Church of San Lorenzo
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The images, especially the devotional images, are tied
together in several ways. They may
represent the solitary figure of the dead Christ, suspended on the cross,
but
are most likely to include the figures of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene and St.
John, whom the Evangelist John places as close enough to the foot of the cross
for Jesus to address them directly just before His death:
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Master of Petrarchs Triumphs, The Crucifixion
From the Hours of Claude Mole
French (Paris), c. 1495-1505
New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
MS M 356, fol. 63v
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| Diego Velazquez, The Crucifixion Spanish,c.1632 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado |
“Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.” (John 19:25-27)
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Quentin Massys, The Crucifixion Central panel of a triptych Belgian, c.1520 Antwerp, Museum Mayer van den Bergh |
Also present in many images are small figures of the sun and
moon, sometimes personified, on either side above the cross.1
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| The Crucifixion From the Sacramentary of Charles the Bald French, c. 870 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 1141, fol. 6v |
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| The Crucifixion From a New Testament Italian (Lombardy), 1195 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS G 12, fol. 74v |
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| The Crucifixion From a Psalter English (London), c. 1225 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS G 25, fol. 2v |
Also frequent are images of a skull or of skulls underneath or on the ground around the cross.2 The former are a reference to Christ’s kingship and triumph over the cosmic forces of day, night and time itself. The latter are references to both the meaning in Aramaic of the place where Jesus was crucified, Golgotha or Place of the Skull, as well as to the old tradition that Adam was buried in that same location and that a seed planted in his mouth grew into the tree from whose wood the cross was fashioned. 3
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| The Crucifixion (ivory) Byzantine, c. 950 New York, Metropolitan Museum |
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Rogier van der Weyden, The Crucifixion Right pane of the Diptych of Jeanne de France Belgian, c. 1452-1470 Chantilly, Musée Condé This picture has it all: sun and moon and skull. |
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Andrea del Castagno, The Crucifixion with Saints Benedict and Romauld
Italian, c.1455
Florence, Church of Sant'Apollonia |
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| Andrea Mantegna, Crucifixion Italian, c. 1465-1470 Paris, Musée du Louvre |
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Giovanni Bellini, The Crucifixion
Italian, c. 1501-1503
Private Collection |
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Gerard David, The Crucifixion
Belgian, c.1515
Berlin, Gemäldegalerie der Staatliche Museen zu Berlin |
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Simon Vouet, The Crucifixion
French, 1622
Genoa, Church of the Gesù
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| Franz Anton Maulbertsch, The Crucifixion Austrian, 1758 Suemeg, Parish Church |
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| Carl Heinrich Bloch, The Crucifixion Danish, c. 1865-1878 Copenhagen, Fredericksborg Castle Chapel |
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| James Tissot, Behold Thy Son From The Life of Christ series French, c. 1886-1894 New York, Brooklyn Museum |
In recent times what might be called "visionary" images of the Crucifixion have appeared.
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James Tissot, "Consummatum Est"
From The Life of Christ series
French, c. 1886-1894
New York, Brooklyn Museum
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_1954_Met_2.jpg)
However, it is from the tradition of the devotional images, more than the narrative images or mystical images, that the typical Twelfth Station is drawn.
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| Eric Gill, Jesus Dies Upon the Cross English, 1913-1918 London, Westminster Cathedral |
© M. Duffy, 2016, selected images updated 2024
_________________________________________________________________________
1. Leesti, Elizabeth . “Carolingian Crucifixion Iconography: An
Elaboration of a Byzantine Theme”, RACAR: revue d'art canadienne / Canadian
Art Review, Association des universités d’art du Canada / Universities
Art Association of Canada , Vol. 20, No. 1/2 (1993), pp. 3-15.
2. Zucker, Mark . “The Skull In Van Eyck's "Crucifixion": A Belated Tribute To Howard Davis”, Notes in the History of Art, The University of Chicago Press, Vol. 17, No. 3 (Spring 1998), pp. 1-6. I must say that I was delighted to come upon this reference. Not only was it interesting in itself, but it brought back very happy memories of Professor Davis, who was one of my first teachers in graduate school. Indeed, the research paper I undertook for him concerned the identity of one of the bystanders in this very same painting.
3. For more on this legend see: Exaltation of the Holy Cross – Piero della
Francesca at Arezzo
4. Matthew 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44-45.
2. Zucker, Mark . “The Skull In Van Eyck's "Crucifixion": A Belated Tribute To Howard Davis”, Notes in the History of Art, The University of Chicago Press, Vol. 17, No. 3 (Spring 1998), pp. 1-6. I must say that I was delighted to come upon this reference. Not only was it interesting in itself, but it brought back very happy memories of Professor Davis, who was one of my first teachers in graduate school. Indeed, the research paper I undertook for him concerned the identity of one of the bystanders in this very same painting.
4. Matthew 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44-45.
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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