03 — ARTWORK
The Merciful Christ
MONTAÑÉS, Juan Martínez · 1605 →
- MEDIUM
- Polychrome wood, height 190 cm
- TYPE
- Religious
PALETTE
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THIS REPRODUCTION
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CURRENT LOCATION · Cathedral (Seville)
- FILE
- 1000 × 1409 px · JPEG
COMMENTARY
UNDERLINED TERMS ARE DEFINED IN THE GLOSSARY.
This polychromed wood Christ on the Cross is one of the most elevated expressions of the Christian theology. Commissioned in 1603, it dates from Montañés' early years. The contract with Montañés survives, and in it are laid down in minute detail the smallest particulars of the iconological theme that the artist was to follow. The Christ was to be attached to the cross by four nails, as described in the Revelations of Saint Bridget, and he must be represented as "alive, just before dying, with his head leaning towards the right and looking at a faithful believer kneeling at his feet..." Impassioned with all Christological themes, the Spanish people imposed on their imagemakers the task of evoking the various moments in the agony of the 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.; this image conveys Christ's supreme mercy for sinners.
OTHER WORKS BY JUAN MARTÍNEZ MONTAÑÉS
CITE THIS RECORD — BIBTEX
@online{wga-r452cfdb8df05ce,
author = {Krén, Emil and Marx, Daniel},
title = {The Merciful Christ by MONTAÑÉS, Juan Martínez},
organization = {{Web Gallery of Art}},
date = {2026-09-14},
url = {https://beta.wga.hu/artists/montas-juan-martnez-r042c5ab152b1d2/the-merciful-christ-r452cfdb8df05ce},
urldate = {2026-09-14},
langid = {english}
}ACCESSED 2026-09-14. REPLACE THE AUTHOR FIELD WITH THE COMMENTARY AUTHOR WHERE ONE IS NAMED.