Crucifix

Abstract

In the Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows, the third chapel on the right in Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome, is a fourteenth-century wooden polychrome crucifix, which underwent conservation treatment in 2015. The crucifix’s torso, most of the head, and the loincloth are carved from a single piece of poplar wood, while the upper arms, forearms, lower limbs, and additional head components are separately assembled. The joints, particularly between the loincloth and legs, are expertly concealed. Christ is depicted with striking realism, capturing the agony of his crucifixion. His face, turned to the right and resting on his shoulder, shows a slightly contorted expression, with his mouth open and eyes half-closed. The tension in his neck, pronounced veins in his arms and legs, and his sunken abdomen with a prominent rib cage all contribute to the lifelike depiction. His crossed feet are fastened to the cross with a single nail. The hair and beard are intricately carved into flowing locks, with a crown of thorns crafted from twisted hemp rope and protruding wooden splinters. The surface of the crucifix was initially prepared with gesso and glue, painted with pigments such as cinnabar, white lead, and earth tones. Blood was rendered and modelled using wax tinted with red lacquer and cinnabar for a realistic effect. The loincloth is made of a piece of canvas adhered to the wood, coated with chalk and glue, then painted with lead white and adorned with thick gold threads using a technique called oro di metà ("half gold"). This method, employing tin foil covered with gold leaf, follows instructions outlined by the Italian painter Cennino Cennini (c. 1360–before 1427) in his Libro dell'Arte (A Treatise on Painting). The 2015 conservation efforts aimed to return the crucifix to its original appearance after centuries of darkening caused by varnishes, adhesives, smoke, and other restorative treatments. These layers had left the crucifix with a bronze-like appearance, which was previously unchallenged, as it aligned with the monochrome stylistic preferences of later centuries. Conservation revealed the crucifix's vivid original colours, while discontinuities and structural gaps were carefully integrated using reversible inpainting media, including watercolours. Carbon-14 dating conducted during the conservation of the sculpture by Recro dated the wood’s trunk to two possible periods: 1280–1320 or 1350–1390. The chapel itself was originally constructed in 1662 under the direction of Cardinal Francesco Cornaro (1478–1543), though its current dedication and appearance date from nineteenth-century renovations led by Cardinal Francesco di Paola Cassetta (1841–1919). Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.