De kruisdraging

About this artwork

De kruisdraging. In het midden Christus met het kruis op de schouders. Links Simon van Cyrene, rechts Veronica, Maria en Johannes. Aan weerszijden van Christus de twee moordenaars, boven priesters te paard. De stoet wordt begeleid door Romeinse soldaten. Het schilderij is vervaardigd voor de kerk St. Franciscus Xaverius (De Krijtberg) aan de Singel te Amsterdam.

Art Historical Context

Jacques Jordaens, a leading Flemish Baroque painter known for his robust figures, vibrant colors, and dramatic compositions, created *De kruisdraging* (The Carrying of the) around 1655–1660. This monumental oil on canvas, measuring nearly 243 cm high and 176 cm wide, captures a pivotal moment from Christ's Passion: Jesus bearing the cross en route to Calvary. Jordaens' style, influenced by Rubens yet distinctly his own with its earthy realism and crowded, dynamic scenes, infuses the biblical narrative with emotional intensity and human drama. At the center, Christ shoulders the heavy cross, flanked left by Simon of Cyrene aiding him and right by Veronica, Mary, and John the Evangelist. The two thieves condemned alongside him appear on either side, while priests on horseback loom above and Roman soldiers escort the procession. This teeming tableau heightens the pathos and tension, characteristic of Baroque religious art designed to evoke devotion. Commissioned for the hidden Catholic church of St. Franciscus Xaverius (De Krijtberg) on Amsterdam's Singel— a "schuilkerk" thriving amid Protestant dominance—this altarpiece underscores the cultural resilience of Catholicism in the Dutch Golden Age. Today, it graces the Rijksmuseum, offering visitors a vivid window into 17th-century Flemish mastery and Counter-Reformation fervor.