The Crucifixion (c. 1730): Art, History and Details

The Crucifixion (c. 1730) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Du Paquier Porcelain Manufactory (Austrian, active 1719–1864).

The work and its context

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

The second oldest European porcelain factory after that at Meissen (in Germany) was set up in Vienna in 1716. During its early years, the Vienna factory was privately owned by a court official, Claudius Innocentius Du Paquier, and its early wares—made before 1744—carry his name. They are characterized by energetic shapes, strong colors, and the use of gold for surface decoration. This is the only Du Paquier crucifix known today. The figure of Christ closely resembles the work of Vienna's most famous sculptor, Georg Raphael Donner (1693–1741), and was probably created by one of his followers especially to be used on this crucifix. The anatomical accuracy and precise detail of the figure, along with the abundance of gold decoration, indicate that the piece was probably a special commission intended for a distinguished patron, possibly a member of the Hungarian Esterházy family.

Object facts

• Title: The Crucifixion
• Date: c. 1730
• Creator attribution: Du Paquier Porcelain Manufactory (Austrian, active 1719–1864)
• Culture: Austria, Vienna
• Type: Ceramic
• Technique: porcelain, ebonized wood cross with gilt bronze mounts
• Dimensions: Overall: 100 x 36.5 cm (39 3/8 x 14 3/8 in.)
• Collection: Decorative Arts
• Department: Decorative Art and Design
• Accession number: 1997.185

Collection credit

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Folnesics, J. and E. W. Braun. Geschichte der K. K. Wiener Porzellan-Manufaktur. Vienna: K. K. Österreichischen Museum für Kunst und Industrie, 1907.
• Cleveland Museum of Art, “Major European Porcelain Crucifix, Pre-Columbian Figure, and Other Works Added to CMA Collection,” December 3, 1997, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives.
• Hawley, Henry. "A Du Paquier Crucifix", Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine. Vol. 39 no. 01, January 1999

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.