Antique Crucifix - Polychrome wood and gesso - circa 1700 - Polychrome sculpture of Christ

Christ Crucified, a polychrome sculpture applied on a flat wooden cross painted black from a later period. The Christ is depicted patiens (suffering), with the head bowed toward the right shoulder and the eyes closed. The face shows pronounced features; the body presents a dry and essential anatomy, with the side and sternum emphasized by graphic grooves and reddish areas that simulate the wounds and blood of the Passion. The loincloth (perizoma) is tied on the right flank, characterized by a rather rigid and geometrized drapery, typical of devotional sculptural production not of high quality. The arms are stretched in a “V” upwards, and the hands, as well as the feet overlapped, display nail marks made with handmade wrought-iron nails. The body of Christ alone measures a little over 30 cm in length, making it an object for private devotion or for a small altar. The work shows stylistic features typical of sacred sculpture of late Baroque origin. The patetic, strongly expressive setting, joined with the dramatic presentation of the blood flow and the austere rendering of the torso, links the piece to the school and tradition of Southern Italy (in particular the Campanian or Apulian/Salentino area).