Jesus is Stripped of his Clothes

Abstract

This second group that Giuseppe Rusnati sculpted for Domodossola is even more crowded and dynamic than the first (Jesus Falls for the Third Time, Chapel 9). The figures were made between 1702 and 1703, but may have been left unpainted until 1764 when Lorenzo Peracino di Cellio also completed the frescoes inside the chapel. Peracino was from Valsesia, where the first Sacro Monte was built at Varallo (est. 1486). It is virtually certain, therefore, that he was aware of Varallo's chapels and their art. The frescoes in this chapel may be compared to Gaudenzio Ferrari's paintings for the Crucifixion at Varallo (c. 1520). Both backdrops are filled with mounted soldiers and witnesses in stereotypically eastern clothing and add considerably to the impression of chaos within the chapel. At Domodossola, the multitude of painted and sculpted figures seem to press in towards Jesus. The composition is dominated by diagonals and dramatic gestures that give the impression of movement and lend a sense of inevitability to the coming crucifixion. The chapel itself was built at the end of the seventeenth century by two brothers, Antonio and Domenico Pereni. / The Sacro Monte, or Monte Calvario, of Domodossola was founded by two friars from the local Capuchin convent, Gioacchino da Cassano and Andrea da Rho. In 1656, they planted a large cross atop the ruins of the medieval fortress that had previously occupied the site and began building the sanctuary on top of the hill in July of the following year. This was the first Sacro Monte dedicated to the Via Crucis, or the Stations of the Cross. Early construction efforts were led and funded by Giovanni Matteo Capis (1617 - 1681) a wealthy merchant who had previously served as the mayor of Domodossola, the director of its hospital, and a leader in the local inquisition.