Crucifixion

Discussion

FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG

This small, gold-ground panel—most likely a fragment of a larger altarpiece—layers several episodes from Christ's Crucifixion at Golgotha (in Hebrew, "the place of the skull"). These are rendered in poignant detail and include the soldier piercing Christ's side with a lance, the group of antagonists gambling to claim his garments, Saint John the Evangelist comforting the Virgin Mary as she collapses in grief, and the Roman centurion Longinus (at center, in red) recognizing Christ's divinity. The frowning sun on Longinus's shield refers to the solar eclipse at the hour of Christ's death.

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