The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of February 8, 2025

Preparation for the Crucifixion
early 1600s
Framed: 73.5 x 63.5 x 6.4 cm (28 15/16 x 25 x 2 1/2 in.); Unframed: 55 x 46.2 cm (21 5/8 x 18 3/16 in.)
Holden Collection 1916.816
Location: 117A Italian Renaissance
Description
Despite the religious subject, the scale and intricate detail indicate that this painting was not for a church setting. Instead, as an independent work of art, a collector would have admired its artistry and unusual combination of Italian and northern European traditions. Likewise, the subject’s novelty would have intrigued a sophisticated patron. Neither Christ’s disrobing before the Crucifixion nor the debate over the plaque identifying him as Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews, are common subjects in the Renaissance. Who made this work remains a mystery. The copper surface, complex composition, and atmospheric landscape imply a painter from north of the Alps, as does Christ’s sinuous body. However, the drapery, rich colors, and figures at lower right stem from Venetian Renaissance art.- James Jackson Jarves (1818–1888), Florence, Italy1884-1916Mrs. Liberty E. Holden (1838-1932), Cleveland, Oh, by gift to the Cleveland Museum of Art1916-The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Boston Foreign Art Exhibition. Catalogue of the Art Department, Foreign Exhibition, Illustrated, Boston, Mass., 1883. Boston: Mills, Knight & Co, 1883. no. 424Jarves, James Jackson, and Liberty Emery Holden. Hand Book for Visitors to the Hollenden Gallery of Old Masters Exhibited at the Boston Foreign Art Exhibition in 1883-4. 1883. . no. 26The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Catalogue of Paintings, Part 3: European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1982. Reproduced: p. 471; Mentioned: p. 71-472Rubinstein-Bloch, Stella. Catalogue of a Collection of Paintings, Etc. Presented by Mrs. Liberty E. Holden to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1917. Mentioned: p. 36-37, cat. no. 40 archive.orgCleveland Museum of Art, Liberty Emery Holden, and Stella Rubinstein-Bloch. Catalogue of a Collection of Paintings, Etc. Presented by Mrs. Liberty E. Holden to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1917. p. 36, no. 40Milliken, William Mathewson. The Twentieth Anniversary Exhibition of the Cleveland Museum of Art. [New York]: [The Art news], 1936. no. 91Coe, Nancy. The History of the Collecting of European Paintings and Drawings in the City of Cleveland. 1955. II, 86, no. 23Fredericksen, Burton B., and Federico Zeri. Census of Pre-Nineteenth-Century Italian Paintings in North American Public Collections. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1972. pp. 246, 286, 573Cleveland Museum of Art. European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1982. cat. no. 207, pp. 471-472
- American Exhibition of Foreign Products, Arts, and Manufactures: Art Department, Jarves Collection, Boston, MA (1883-1884).The Twentieth Anniversary Exhibition: The Official Art Exhibit of the Great Lakes Exposition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 26-October 4, 1936).
- {{cite web|title=Preparation for the Crucifixion|url=false|author=|year=early 1600s|access-date=08 February 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.816