The Crucifixion
Carlo Crivelli·c. 1487
Historical Context
The Crucifixion by Carlo Crivelli, painted around 1487, demonstrates the Venetian-born painter's distinctive fusion of Byzantine icon traditions with ornate Renaissance naturalism. Crivelli worked primarily in the Marche region of Italy, developing a uniquely decorative style characterized by elaborate surface detail, dramatic emotional expression, and brilliant color. His Crucifixion scenes are among the most emotionally intense in Italian Renaissance art.
Technical Analysis
Crivelli's tempera technique on panel achieves the hard-edged, jewel-like precision that distinguishes his work. The figures are rendered with intense emotional expression and sharp, sculptural modeling. The decorative details — ornate haloes, patterned fabrics, and botanical elements — are painted with extraordinary precision, creating a richly textured surface.
Provenance
Alexander Barker (died 1874) and his executors, London; sold Christie’s, London, June 21, 1879, no. 472, to Lesser for £100 16s [annotated catalogue at Frick Art Reference Library]. Baron E. de Beurnonville, Paris; offered for sale but bought in, Charles Pillet, Paris, May 9–16, 1881, no. 632; sold Hôtel Drouot, Paris, May 21–22, 1883, no.126, for Fr 2,800 [Mireur 1911]. Joseph Spiridon, Rome, probably by 1883 [the catalogue of the 1929 Spiridon sale erroneously states that it was acquired from Beurnonville in 1876]; sold Cassirer and Helbing, Berlin, May 31, 1929, no. 15, pl. 23, to Knoedler for 250,000 marks [annotated catalogue at Getty Center]; sold by Knoedler, London, to Art Institute, 1929.
