Crucifixion

The Crucifixion from 1408 at the Pinacoteca di Brera is part of the Valle Romita polyptych, one of Gentile da Fabriano's early masterworks painted for the Franciscan church in the Marche. The altarpiece demonstrates Gentile's ability to balance the devotional gravity of the Crucifixion with the decorative refinement of the International Gothic style of which he was the supreme Italian exponent. Gentile da Fabriano was the leading painter in Italy during the first decades of the fifteenth century, creating works of extraordinary luxuriance in gilding, color, and surface ornament for the most powerful patrons of his era. The Crucifixion was among the most theologically central subjects of medieval and early Renaissance art, and Gentile's treatment brings to the scene the precious materials and delicate figure style associated with the International Gothic, combining sacred gravity with the jewel-like beauty that his patrons associated with the highest spiritual aspirations. The Brera's holding of the Valle Romita polyptych preserves one of Gentile's most important early works in the city of Milan, where he worked at the court of the Visconti during his formative years.

The dramatic scene is rendered with rich coloring and intricate detail within a gold-ground format, the figures expressing grief and devotion with elegant restraint.