Spanish school; 17th century.

Spanish school; XVII century.
"Christ crucified".
Carved and polychrome wood.
Measurements: 61 x 30 x 21 cm.
Crucifixions and crucifixes have appeared in the history of art and popular culture since before the era of the pagan Roman Empire. The crucifixion of Jesus has been depicted in religious art since the 4th century. It is one of the most recurrent themes in Christian art and the one with the most obvious iconography. Although Christ is sometimes depicted clothed, it is usual to represent his naked body, albeit with the genitals covered with a purity cloth (perizonium); full nudes are very rare, but prominent (Brunelleschi, Michelangelo, Cellini). The conventions of representation of the different attitudes of the crucified Christ are designated by the Latin expressions Christus triumphans ("triumphant" -not to be confused with the Maiestas Domini or the Pantocrator-), Christus patiens ("resigned" -not to be confused with the Christ of patience-) and Christus dolens ("suffering" -not to be confused with the Vir dolorum-). The triumphans is represented alive, with his eyes open and his body erect; the patiens is represented dead, with his will totally emptied (kenosis), his head bowed, his face with a serene expression, his eyes closed and his body arched, showing the five wounds; the dolens is represented in a similar way to the patiens, but with a gesture of pain, particularly in his mouth (curved). The work in question, belonging to the Andalusian school of the 18th century, shows us an image full of pathos. A balanced and perfectly studied anatomy denotes the artistic ability of the sculptor, who reflects like no one else the suffering that Christ endured in his last seconds of life.