Artwork Page for Descent from the Cross

Details / Information for Descent from the Cross

Descent from the Cross

1653

Adam Lenckhardt

(German, 1610–1661)
Culture
Austria
Medium
ivory
Measurements
Overall: 44.8 x 16.5 x 12.1 cm (17 5/8 x 6 1/2 x 4 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 1967.134
Public Domain
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Location
215 French, German, and Dutch
Print
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Did You Know?

Carved from a single elephant tusk, the artist took special care to ensure the ivory did not crack or break as he meticulously crafted each figure in this visually exciting sculpture. Look closely to find tools and small objects included near its base.

Description

Carved from a single piece of ivory for Prince Karl Eusebius von Liechtenstein of Vienna, this work is a true tour-de-force. It took Lenckhardt seven years to complete; it is his last known sculpture and the pinnacle of his career. The biblical accounts of the descent from the cross found in the gospels are not consistent, which may contribute to the difficulty in precisely identifying the figures. The Virgin Mary, Saint John, Mary Magdalene, and others were said to be present, but undoubtedly there are other disciples here mourning Christ’s death. The intense emotion registers on the faces of the figures in the scrupulous and exquisitely detailed work.
Finely carved ivory sculpture depicting Christ's limp body being lowered from a cross. One person stradles the top of the cross holding a cloth wrapped around Christ's arm and another person leaning from a ladder leaned against the cross's side holds a cloth wrapped around Christ's waist as they lower Christ's body at a diagonal. At the base, two people reach up to grip the body and two sit, facing us, at the base.

Descent from the Cross

1653

Adam Lenckhardt

(German, 1610–1661)
Austria

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