03 — ARTWORK
Crucifixion
- MEDIUM
- Tempera on wood, 33 x 22 cm
- TYPE
- Religious
PALETTE
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- FILE
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COMMENTARY
UNDERLINED TERMS ARE DEFINED IN THE GLOSSARY.
In the centre of the small panelTerm in painting for a support of wood, metal, or other rigid substance, as distinct from canvas. Until the adoption of canvas in the 15th century nearly all the movable paintings of Europe were executed on wood, and even up to the beginning of the 17th century it is probable that as much painting was done on the one support as on the other. Painters who worked on a small scale often used copper panels (Elsheimer is a leading example), and in the colonial art of South America copper and tin and even lead and zinc were used. On a larger scale, slate has occasionally been used as a support, notably by Rubens for his altarpiece for Sta Maria in Vallicella (the Chiesa Nuova) in Rome; the picture he originally painted was said to reflect the light unpleasantly and slate was used for the replacement to produce a more matt finish. For wood panels the Italian masters of the Renaissance preferred white poplar, while oak was the most common wood used in northern Europe. Many other types were used, however; analysis of the contents of art galleries has yielded a long list, including beech, cedar, chestnut, fir, larch, linden, mahogany, olive, and walnut. In the 20th century cedar, teak, and dark walnut are favourites, and modern painters have also used plywood, fibre-board, and other synthetic materials as supports., Christ hangs on the cross, which is marked "I.N.R.I." His head hangs onto his right shoulder and shows the marks from the crown of thorns, with blood oozing from his wounds. The figure of Christ on the cross is very similar to that in the frescoWall painting technique in which pigments are applied to wet (fresh) plaster (intonaco). The pigments bind with the drying plaster to form a very durable image. Only a small area can be painted in a day, and these areas, drying to a slightly different tint, can in time be seen. Small amounts of retouching and detail work could be carried out on the dry plaster, a technique known as a secco fresco. of the <a onclick="return OpenOther('/html/a/andrea/firenze/crucif.html')" href="/html/a/andrea/firenze/crucif.html">CrucifixionAn important method of capital punishment, particularly among the Persians, Seleucids, Jews, Carthaginians, and Romans from about the 6th century BC to the 4th century AD. Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor, abolished it in the Roman Empire in AD 337, out of veneration for Jesus Christ, the most famous victim of crucifixion. There were various methods of performing the execution. Usually, the condemned man, after being whipped, or "scourged," dragged the crossbeam of his cross to the place of punishment, where the upright shaft was already fixed in the ground. Stripped of his clothing either then or earlier at his scourging, he was bound fast with outstretched arms to the crossbeam or nailed firmly to it through the wrists. The crossbeam was then raised high against the upright shaft and made fast to it about 9 to 12 feet (approximately 3 metres) from the ground. Next, the feet were tightly bound or nailed to the upright shaft. A ledge inserted about halfway up the upright shaft gave some support to the body; evidence for a similar ledge for the feet is rare and late. Over the criminal's head was placed a notice stating his name and his crime. Death, apparently caused by exhaustion or by heart failure, could be hastened by shattering the legs (crurifragium) with an iron club, so that shock and asphyxiation soon ended his life. in the Spanish Chapela small separate place for worship, either part of a large church or a separate building.<A> in S. Maria Novella in Florence, dated 1566—68 and also executed by Andrea da Firenze.
Mary stands to the left of the cross, her hands joined in a mournful gesture, gazing at her son. The figure of Saint John the Evangelist at the right is depicted in a slightly more active posture of mourning than the motionless Virgin. He has his hands joined in front of his chest, and his look toward Christ expresses sorrow and disbelief. A Dominican friar kneels at the foot of the cross, embracing it, while his lips appear to be kissing the feet of Christ.
Two angels are at either side of the cross; they also mourn. The left angel has covered his face with part of his garment, and the right angel is supporting his head with his hand. Angels that are able to <a onclick="return OpenOther('/html/g/giotto/padova/3christ/scenes_4/chris201.html')" href="/html/g/giotto/padova/3christ/scenes_4/chris201.html">express emotions<A> first appear in works by Giotto. Their depiction soon became very popular in trecentothe 14th century in Italian art. This period is often considered the "proto-Renaissance," when writers and artists laid the foundation for the development of the early Renaissance in the next century (the Quattrocento). painting.
CITE THIS RECORD — BIBTEX
@online{wga-r0a6027ee6da8fc,
author = {Krén, Emil and Marx, Daniel},
title = {Crucifixion by ANDREA DA FIRENZE},
organization = {{Web Gallery of Art}},
date = {2026-09-13},
url = {https://beta.wga.hu/artists/andrea-da-firenze-rdb85b3e5c53f43/crucifixion-r0a6027ee6da8fc},
urldate = {2026-09-13},
langid = {english}
}ACCESSED 2026-09-13. REPLACE THE AUTHOR FIELD WITH THE COMMENTARY AUTHOR WHERE ONE IS NAMED.
