Crucifix by the Master of the Bigallo Crucifixion

This monumental painted crucifix by the Master of the Bigallo Crucifixion, an anonymous Florentine painter active around 1240-1270, is an important example of the large-scale crucifixes that transformed the visual experience of Italian Gothic churches. Now at the Art Institute of Chicago, the work takes its master's name from a related crucifix formerly at the Bigallo in Florence. These painted crucifixes, suspended above the altar or rood screen, made Christ's suffering powerfully visible to the congregation and were central to Franciscan-inspired devotional practices.

Executed in tempera and gold on a shaped wooden cross panel, the crucifix depicts the dead Christ (Christus Patiens) with closed eyes and sagging body. The refined drawing, subtle anatomical modeling, and gold-striped loincloth demonstrate the high quality of mid-13th-century Florentine panel painting.