Christ on the Cross

c. 1490/1500

German 15th Century

Associated Names
German 15th Century

Artist

This is a painting of a crucifixion scene. It depicts a central figure nailed to a cross, with blood flowing from wounds in the hands, feet, and side. On each side of the cross, there are two figures with halos. One is dressed in blue with a white veil, and the other in purple with a red mantle. The background is simple, emphasizing the scene in the foreground. The painting uses bold outlines and vibrant colors to emphasize the figures. It is in the style of Medieval religious iconography.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut, hand-colored in blue, red, vermillion, olive, green, yellow, and rose

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 7.1 × 5.7 cm (2 13/16 × 2 1/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.490

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Schreiber, no. 456, State a

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Ludwig Rosenthal, Munich, Catalogue 90, 1892, no. 21); Martin Aufhäuser [1875-1944], Munich, Holland, and Los Angeles; [1] sold 1939 via his son Walter Aufhäuser to Lessing J. Rosenwald, Jenkintown, PA (L.1760c and L.1932d); gift to NGA, 1943.
[1] For more information on Aufhäuser's collection, see Gallery Archives, National Gallery of Art, Rosenwald Papers, Box 9; Lessing J. Rosenwald, Recollections of a Collector, Jenkintown, Pa, 1976, pp. 14-18, and Richard S. Field, Fifteenth Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts, Washington, D.C., 1965, Preface (np).

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1965

  • Fifteenth-Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts from the Collection of the National Gallery of Art, NGA, 1965-1966, no. 70, 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: no. 70.

Watermarks

none

Wikidata ID

Q64952926

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