The Crucifixion

Luca di Tommè's Crucifixion, painted around 1365, represents one of the central subjects of Gothic devotional art executed in the refined Sienese manner. Luca was a leading painter in post-plague Siena who continued the graceful, emotionally expressive tradition of the city's earlier masters while responding to the intensified piety that followed the Black Death of 1348. The Crucifixion at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco exemplifies the Sienese approach to Passion imagery, which emphasised lyrical pathos and decorative beauty over dramatic violence.

Tempera and gold leaf on panel with the characteristic Sienese palette of rich reds, blues, and gold. The elegant contour lines and carefully modulated expressions of grief reflect the refined emotional register of Sienese Gothic painting, distinct from the more austere Florentine approach.