Andalusian school of the mid-18th century. "Christ crucified". Oil on canvas. Measurements: 81 x 61...

Andalusian school of the mid-18th century. "Christ crucified". Oil on canvas. Measurements: 81 x 61 cm, 106 x 86 cm. (frame)

Andalusian school of the mid-18th century.
"Christ crucified".
Oil on canvas.
Measurements: 81 x 61 cm, 106 x 86 cm. (frame)
The crucifixion of Christ is the central theme of the Christian iconography and especially of the catholic one. Christ was inflicted the suffering that corresponded to the suffering of runaway slaves or slaves in rebellion, an essentially Roman condemnation but of Persian origin. This episode in the life of Christ is the most strictly proven historical fact and is also the main argument for the redemption of Christian doctrine: the blood of God incarnate as man is shed for the redemption of all sins. The representation of the crucifixion has undergone an evolution parallel to the liturgical and theological variations of Catholic doctrine in which we would like to point out three milestones: at first early Christian art omitted the representation of the human figure of Christ and the crucifixion was represented by means of the "Agnus Dei", the mystical lamb carrying the cross of martyrdom. Until the 11th century Christ was represented crucified but alive and triumphant, with his eyes open, in accordance with the Byzantine rite, which did not consider the possibility of the existence of Christ's corpse. Later, under the theological consideration that the death of the Saviour is not due to an organic process but to an act of divine will, Christ is represented, as in this work, already dead, with his eyes closed and his head fallen on his right shoulder, showing the sufferings of the passion, provoking commiseration, as referred to in Psalm 22 when he prays: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (...) a mob of the wicked is near me: they have pierced my hands and my feet (...) they have divided my garments and cast lots for my tunic". The present work shows Christ crucified, fastened to the cross by three nails (one in the feet and two in the arms, now lost), crowned with a crown of thorns and covered with a cloth of purity. The iconography of the three-nailed Christ is typical of this period. During the Middle Ages the form with four nails was preferred, but in Renaissance examples it usually appears with three. This formula would be maintained until well into the Baroque period, until the iconography of Francisco Pacheco spread, who took up the representation with four nails.