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Alessandro Algardi

Crucifix

c. 1646
Bronze, pearwood with ebonizing and staining
188.9 × 75.6 cm (74.4 × 29.8 in)

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● On view now — Gallery 211

Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · verified July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

Bronze, wood with ebonizing and staining This expertly cast bronze is one of the finest surviving versions of a lost silver crucifix that Alessandro Algardi made for Pope Innocent X in 1646. Jesus’s expression displays the agonized emotion caused by his torture on the cross, yet his body appears graceful and idealized. The cross is made of stained and ebonized pearwood and appears to be original, with the drilled holes at the bottom most likely used to affix it on an altar.

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