The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Crucifixion

Crucifixion

c. 1680
(Southern?)
terracotta
Overall: 38.8 x 26.1 cm (15 1/4 x 10 1/4 in.)
Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund 1966.363
Location: 301 Baroque Sculpture Mezzanine

Description

This work is quite atypical for the period due to its physiognomy and composition: Christ's figure is stout in comparison to the slender, elongated figures more common at the time. This effect is compounded by the tight focus of the composition; the artist emphasizes Christ by minimizing background and ornamentation. The design is adapted from an engraving after Charles Le Brun (1619–1690) who studied in Rome and became primary painter to Louis XIV of France. The innovative, simplistic approach of the relief contrasts to the style that Le Brun championed as head of the French Academy. Scholars dispute the legitimacy of the frame as original to the piece, due to its emphatic decoration compared to the solemn relief.
  • Alberto di Castro (Rome, Italy), sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.
  • CMA 1967: "Year in Review," CMA Bulletin, LIV (December 1967), p. 342, cat. no. 31
    Year in Review: 1967. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 29-December 31, 1967).
  • {{cite web|title=Crucifixion|url=false|author=|year=c. 1680|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1966.363