Leaf from a Missal: The Crucifixion (recto) and Text (verso)
Unknown Artist
c. 1330–40
Medium
ink, tempera, and gold leaf on parchment
Dimensions
35.4 × 23.5 cm
Classification
Manuscript
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund
Accession Number
1949.204
About this artwork
The crucified Christ was a central theme of medieval visual art. Each period set its own artistic and iconographic priorities, depending on the function and context of the works. For example, the dead Christ with his head bowed, the side wound dripping with blood, and the richly designed loincloth is characteristic of the 1300s. This miniature is from Bohemia (present-day Czech Republic and Slovakia), with its capital, Prague, as a leading art center of its time. The great plague, however, does ...