Artwork Page for The Crucifixion

Details / Information for The Crucifixion

The Crucifixion

1470s

Matteo di Giovanni

(Italian, c. 1435–1495)
Culture
Italy, Siena
Medium
tempera and oil with gold on wood panel
Measurements
Framed: 39.4 x 38.1 x 4.5 cm (15 1/2 x 15 x 1 3/4 in.); Unframed: 29.8 x 31 cm (11 3/4 x 12 3/16 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of James Parmelee 1940.535
Public Domain
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Location
117A Italian Renaissance
Print

Description

This small picture belonged to a predella, a series of subsidiary panels consisting of narrative scenes and situated at the bottom of an altarpiece. Predella paintings are significant because the artist was allowed more freedom and inventiveness here than in the higher part of the altarpiece. In this Crucifixion scene, the harmony of colors, the monumentality of the figures, and the symmetry of the composition all reflect the classical spirit of Renaissance Italy. Moreover, the panel shows some characteristics of the traditional Sienese school—such as the quality and elegance of the lines—which persists in Giovanni’s works.
A vertically oriented tempera and oil painting on a wood panel, bisected by a horizontal crack, depicts light-skinned figures in primary blues and reds. Centrally, the crucified Christ bows his head toward our right. To our left, a youth in a blue tunic and red cloak stands beside a soldier on a white horse. To our right, a man in red on a dark horse points. Rocky hills and blue sky appear behind.

The Crucifixion

1470s

Matteo di Giovanni

(Italian, c. 1435–1495)
Italy, Siena

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