Crucifix

Abstract

This monumental crucifix, currently in the Cappella del Crocifisso of the Cathedral of Naples, predates the building in which it was housed and was likely originally made for the pre-existing church on the site, Santa Resituta. Documents record the crucifix as being in the Cathedral in the sixteenth century with a painting behind it of the mourning Virgin and St. John the Evangelist, a backdrop that no longer survives but was likely made in the fifteenth or sixteenth century, when such paintings were commonly created to give a narrative context for earlier crucifixes. The polychromy was "restored" (i.e. repainted) in the eighteenth century, and then the work underwent a conservation treatment in 1971, which either involved removing the later repaint or repainting the crucifix again following the original colours. This rare early monumental crucifix shows Christ as a tall, elegantly thin figure, with four nails, rather than the three nails that would become customary later, and so the feet are each nailed separately to the cross, making the figure relatively flat, not subject to any torsion, only the gentlest of bends in the knees and tilt of the head suggesting the weight of the body. The anatomy is stylized as well, with ribs denoted similarly to the folds of Christ's loincloth, which is covered in royal blue pigment, with gold leaf trim and a red lining. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License