The Crucifixion

A fictive architectural border frames this somber image of the Crucifixion. The dead Christ hangs from the cross while the Virgin Mary (left) and the apostle John (right) stand by in mourning. Saint Mary Magdalen kneels at the foot of the cross and embraces its base. At the top of the cross is a plaque inscribed “INRI,” an abbreviation for “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” (in Latin, “Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum”). A single soldier (presumably intended to represent those who nailed Christ to the cross) rides off into the landscape, the barrenness of which alludes to Christ's death.

The meticulous execution, graceful figures, and silvery tonalities are typical traits of Pietro Orioli, one of the most refined painters of Renaissance Siena The Walters’ panel was originally part of a “predella,” or illustrated base, of a monumental altarpiece by Orioli depicting the Virgin Mary ascending into heaven. The central panel of the altarpiece was cut into fragments sometime in the 19th century; these fragments are now in several public and private collections around the world. Other panels from the predella also survive and depict various scenes from the life of Christ, including his birth (private collection), baptism (Cambridge, UK, Fitzwilliam Museum), resurrection (Cambridge, UK, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, UK), and the Pentecost (private collection).

Inscription

Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.

Don Marcello Massarenti Collection, Rome [date and mode of acquisition unknown] [1897 catalogue: no. 88, as Melozzo da Forlì]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1902, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.