Crucifixion

Currently not on view

Crucifixion

c. 1490

Artist/maker unknown, French?

Crudely cut and boldly colored, single-sheet woodcuts were sold to pilgrims at holy sites as souvenirs for personal devotions. Such inexpensive woodcuts were common in the fifteenth century, but they are rare today; tacked to the walls of the home, most were destroyed by smoke, sunlight, and dust. This example was preserved by being pasted into the lid of a portable strongbox to protect its pious owner. The stencil-colored image of the Crucifixion, with drops of blood spurting from Christ's wounds, reveals the forceful graphic language of the woodcut medium as compared to the more refined delicacy of engraving.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

Crucifixion

Date:

c. 1490

Artist:

Artist/maker unknown, French?

Medium:

Woodcut colored with stencils; originally attached inside the lid of a leather covered oak dispatch box with iron fittings

Dimensions:

Image: 8 9/16 × 5 7/8 inches (21.7 × 14.9 cm) Sheet: 9 9/16 × 6 7/16 inches (24.3 × 16.4 cm)

Classification:

Prints

Credit Line:

Purchased with funds contributed by Lessing J. Rosenwald and with the Thomas Skelton Harrison Fund, 1963

Accession Number:

1963-153-1a,b

Geography:

Probably printed in France, Europe

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Currently not on view