German, Lower Rhine, or French, 14th century

Private collection, Germany

 This fragmented yet striking crucifix torso reveals stylistic features that were prevalent in the 14th century in Western Germany and the Lower Rhineland, evidenced by its close similarity to a Rhenish crucifix in the St Cyriakus church in Weeze (op cit. Karrenbrock and Peez). Furthermore, stylistic parallels can be observed with a French polychromed wood crucifix in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (inv. no. 22.58.2), which could suggest a French origin or stylistic influence.

The positioning of the legs, with both feet placed on top of one another nailed to the cross with a single nail, emerged in western Europe in the 1100s. The overall composition of the figure with his torso subtly twisted produces convincing tension and pathos. The cascading drapery of the loincloth is intricate and folded in an asymmetric manner, tied just below the abdomen, highlighting the natural curvature of his stomach. The present figure shows nuanced bodily volumes and while the figure is a fragment, the skilled carving retains its original monumentality.

RELATED LITERATURE

W. D. Wixom, ‘Medieval Sculpture at the Metropolitan: 800 to 1400’ in The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, vol. 62, no. 4, 2005, p. 27; R. Karrenbrock and M. Peez, ‘Hochgotik in Weeze. Der Kruzifixus der katholischen Pfarrkirche St. Cyriakus’,in Denkmalpflege im Rheinland, vol. 28, 2011, pp. 175-179