Crucifix
Unknown Artist
ca. 1200–1220
Medium
Wood with polychromy
Dimensions
Overall (Christ): 75 5/8 x 76 1/4 x 11 1/4 in. (192.1 x 193.7 x 28.6 cm) Cross: 89 1/8 x 80 1/2 x 1 in. (226.4 x 204.5 x 2.5 cm)
Classification
Sculpture-Wood
Culture
North Italian
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Fletcher Fund, 1947
Accession Number
47.100.54
Tags
Art Historical Context
This imposing *Crucifix*, crafted by an unknown North Italian artist around 1200–1220, stands as a powerful testament to medieval Christian devotion. Carved from wood and enhanced with polychromy—vibrant paints and gilding that would have originally made the figure gleam under church candlelight—the sculpture depicts Christ on the cross in a dramatic, life-sized scale. Measuring nearly six feet tall for the Christ alone, with the full cross exceeding seven feet, it likely served as a focal point in a monastery or cathedral, inspiring awe and prayer among worshippers during the Romanesque era's...