The Crucifixion

Guido da Siena's Crucifixion, painted around 1275, depicts the central event of Christian salvation with the emotional restraint and iconic formality characteristic of Italian Duecento painting. Guido was a foundational figure of the Sienese school, active during the decades when Sienese painters were establishing a visual identity distinct from both Byzantine convention and the nascent Florentine approach of Cimabue. Now at the Yale University Art Gallery, this panel demonstrates the rich gold grounds and luminous color that became hallmarks of Sienese art.

Executed in tempera and gold on panel, the Crucifixion employs the traditional gold ground and symmetrical composition of Byzantine precedent. The subtle curvature of Christ's body and the delicate modeling of mourning figures reveal Guido's tentative steps toward the Gothic expressiveness that would define Sienese painting.