Leaf from a Picture Cycle: Christ Carrying the Cross, The Crucifixion, The Descent from the Cross, and the Entombment
1325/50
Medium
Opaque watercolor, gold leaf and mordant gilding with French inscriptions in gothica textualis in pen and light brown, red and blue ink, on parchment
Dimensions
28.4 × 20.3 cm (11 3/16 × 8 in.)
Classification
tempera
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
80901
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
On this leaf, lively figures tell the story of Christ’s Crucifixion and of his appearances after the Resurrection. They are part of an extensive picture cycle from an early 14th-century book disassembled almost 200 years ago, its illustrated pages now scattered in libraries and private collections. The text has not survived, but the book was probably a Psalter. The original owner used the book for personal devotion, following the Roman numerals and captions in French placed next to each image t...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...