Crucifix with Scenes of the Passionc. 1230–40 · Study 1995.5

Context from the museum

Large painted crucifixes dating from the 1100s and 1200s are among the earliest surviving Italian panel paintings. Large crosses, like this beautiful example, were typically suspended high above an altar in the main apse of Italian churches. Smaller crosses were placed on or just above altars in small side chapels. Such crosses served as the visual focus for devotion and symbolized the Eucharistic sacrament performed by the priest on the altar below. This crucifix shows Christ alive on the cross as the triumphant savior of mankind. Smaller images on the "apron" represent images of Christ's Passion (to the left) and his death and Resurrection (to the right). On the far left terminal appear the mourning Virgin and Saint John the Evangelist, while on the right the viewer is shown Saint James Major and Saint Bona, patroness of the city of Pisa. The concluding event, the Ascension of Christ, once appeared on the upper terminal, just above the Virgin and Apostles. The figure of Christ is painted in a severe and hieratic style suggestive of medieval Pisa's artistic and commercial links with the Byzantine East. The appearance of Saint Bona on this cross may suggest that it was made for the Church of S. Martino in Pisa, where Franciscan nuns tended the holy woman's relics.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

Although the artist did sign this panel at the bottom, the signature is illegible, his first name perhaps being Michael.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected unframed measurement for Crucifix with Scenes of the Passion is 160 cm wide and 185 cm high, equivalent to approximately 63.0 × 72.8 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.86:1. The rectangular bounding area is 2.96 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 53.3% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 70.0 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Crucifix with Scenes of the Passion in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, tempera with gold on panel, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 160 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?