Crucifixion with the Virgin Mary and St. John the Evangelist

Carlo Crivelli

Download hi-res image TITLE Crucifixion with the Virgin Mary and St. John the Evangelist
AUTHOR Carlo Crivelli
DATE 1488 - 90
OBJECT TYPE AND MATERIAL Tempera and oil on panel
TECNICA OPERA Tempera and oil on panel
DIMENSIONS cm 218 x 75
INVENTORY 197
ROOM XXII
Work on display

The crucified Christ mourned by Mary and John, both illustrates the event while conveying its deeper message. The artist meticulously portrays the sloping setting with its garland of clouds and its bare tree trunks, straight as rods, conveying the drama of the moment in the expression on the figures’ faces and the tension of their muscles. The upper part alludes to Christ’s divine nature and to the redeeming role of his suffering, lit by the sun and moon which recall the end of time as it is described in the Bible.