Corpus of Christ
13th century
- Medium
- Wood with traces of polychromy
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Dimensions
- 201.9 × 165.1 cm (79 1/2 × 65 in.)
- Culture
- Spain
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago, Painting and Sculpture of Europe
- Credit line
- Kate S. Buckingham Endowment
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Teens profiles and older: its subject is for older viewers (war, death, the Passion, drink or the like). How works are placed
View at the Art Institute of Chicago
About this work
This sculpture of the crucified Christ reportedly came from a church in Banyoles in northeastern Spain. It was displayed between the choir and the nave, which was the space reserved for the congregation. Originally painted and gilded, it would have provided a dramatic focal point for the faithful. Christ’s figure, with drooping head, closed eyes, and limp body, emphasizes his humanity and suffering. This resigned treatment of the crucified Christ gained currency around 1200, in contrast to more upright and triumphant representations of Christ on the cross of earlier centuries.
Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0
