The Crucifixion

Attributed toFormerly attributed to Bartolommeo Bulgarini (Italian (Sienese), active by 1337, d. 1378)

Datecirca 1350

MediumTempera and gilding and punched decoration on wood panel

DimensionsSight (max.): 19 3/4 x 8 11/16 in. (50.2 x 22.1 cm)
Framed: 25 1/4 × 12 7/8 in. (64.1 × 32.7 cm)

Credit LineGift of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation

Object number1973.40

Object TypePaintings

On View

Not on view

This painting was originally the right panel of a folding diptych (double panel). Its modest size and expensive materials suggest that it probably served as an altarpiece in a private chapel. The very human responses of the figures at the foot of the cross make this an appropriate image for individual meditation on the meaning of the Mass: their tears direct the worshipper to sympathize with Christ’s suffering, and to recognize the enormity of his sacrifice.