Crucifixion (c. 1680): Art, History and Details

Crucifixion (c. 1680) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

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.

Object facts

• Title: Crucifixion
• Date: c. 1680
• Culture: (Southern?) France, 17th century
• Type: Sculpture
• Technique: terracotta
• Dimensions: Overall: 38.8 x 26.1 cm (15 1/4 x 10 1/4 in.)
• Collection: Sculpture
• Department: European Painting and Sculpture
• Accession number: 1966.363

Collection credit

Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.