Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
The Dead Christ on the Cross
(Baroque Europe )
In 1657, Pope Alexander VII commissioned Bernini to produce crucifixes for the side aisles of St. Peter's Basilica, in the Vatican. While Bernini provided the design (either a drawing or a terracotta model), the wax model was made in 1658 by the sculptor Ercole Ferrata. The bronze cast was then made by Paolo Curieri, and Bartolomeo Cennini, working under Bernini's supervision, was charged with the final chasing, or finishing, of the surface detail.
As Ferrata had the models in his own workshop at his death, and as there are small casting flaws that Bernini would probably not have accepted (for example, fills are visible on Christ's leg), this "Dead Christ on the Cross" is likely to be a later cast. The modern cross is based on Bernini's design for those in St. Peter's.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Richier [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Sale, Christie's, New York, January 14, 1992, lot 157; Walters Art Museum, 1992, by purchase.
Exhibitions
| 1995-1996 | Going for Baroque. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1995 | The Allure of Bronze. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Geographies
Italy, Rome (Place of Origin)
Measurements
17 1/8 x 13 in. (43.5 x 33 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase with funds provided by the W. Alton Jones Foundation Acquisition Fund, 1992
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
54.2677