Descent from the Cross (1653): Art, History and Details

Descent from the Cross (1653) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Adam Lenckhardt (German, 1610–1661).

The work and its context

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

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.

Object facts

• Title: Descent from the Cross
• Date: 1653
• Creator attribution: Adam Lenckhardt (German, 1610–1661)
• Culture: Austria
• Type: Sculpture
• Technique: ivory
• Dimensions: Overall: 44.8 x 16.5 x 12.1 cm (17 5/8 x 6 1/2 x 4 3/4 in.)
• Collection: Sculpture
• Department: European Painting and Sculpture
• Accession number: 1967.134

A detail from the museum

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.

Collection credit

John L. Severance Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Napier, Robert, and J. C. Robinson. Catalogue of the Works of Art Forming the Collection of Robert Napier. London, United Kingdom: Priv. Print, 1865.
• Fleischer, Victor. Fürst Karl Eusebius von Liechtenstein als Bauherr und Kunstsammler (1611-1684). Vienna, Austria and Leipzig,Germany: C.W. Stern, 1910.
• Braun-Troppau, E. W. "Der Wiener Elfenbeinbildhauer Adam Lenckhardt." Kunst und Kunsthandwerk XVI (1913): 318-320.

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.