Christ on the Cross

c. 1450

German 15th Century

Associated Names
This is a drawing of a crucifixion scene. The image depicts a central figure on a cross, flanked by two figures on either side, each with a halo surrounding their heads. The central figure is shown with a cloth around their waist, arms stretched outward along the beam of the cross, hands open. The two figures on the sides are robed in garments, with the figure on the left slightly bowed and hands clasped together, while the figure on the right has hands raised in a gesture of prayer or reverence. The drawing utilizes bold black outlines to define figures and details, with subtle earthy tones giving color to their attire and surroundings. The overall depiction is simple and stylized, reminiscent of traditional woodcut prints.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut, hand-colored in yellow ocher, green, and red-orange on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 3.5 × 2.7 cm (1 3/8 × 1 1/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.811

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Schreiber, no. 466


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Anton W.M. Mensing [1866-1936], Amsterdam). (Sotheby's, 18 December 1936, lot 206); purchased 18 December 1936 by Lessing J. Rosenwald, Jenkintown, PA (L1760b and L1932d); gift to NGA, 1943.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1965

  • Fifteenth-Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts from the Collection of the National Gallery of Art, NGA, 1965-1966, no. 72, repro.

Bibliography

1926

  • Schreiber, Wilhelm Ludwig. Handbuch de Holz- und Metailschnitte des XV Jahrhunderts. 8 vols. Leipzig: Verlag Karl W. Hierseman, 1926-1930.

1965

  • Field, Richard S. Fifteenth Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts from the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.. Exh. cat. Washington: National Gallery of Art, 1965.

Watermarks

none

Wikidata ID

Q64953420

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