Crucifix

Abstract

This glazed terracotta Crucifix, installed over the high altar of the church of San Miniato al Monte, is attributed to Benedetto Buglioni by Marquand and Gentilini. It bears the hallmarks of Buglioni's style and can be compared with his Radicofani altar of the Crucifixion. Here, Christ's loincloth is a light purple-blue, and the wound in Christ's breast has been accented with cold red paint applied to the surface. In contrast to the work of Luca della Robbia (to whom this Crucifix has sometimes been attributed), Benedetto Buglioni's glazes are generally less even and bright, and his modeling is softer, leaving physical features and contours less defined than in the best work of the Della Robbia. Buglioni's interest in simulating a wide range of materials and atmospheric effects often led him to blend glaze hues, making his sculptural surfaces take on the appearance of watercolors. Gentilini has proposed a broad date range of 1500-1520 for this Crucifix. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.