UNKNOWN MASTER, Italian
(active in 1230s in Pisa)

Crucifix (Cross No. 20)

c. 1230
Parchment on panel, 297 x 234 cm
Pinacoteca, Pisa

In this painting Christ is shown dead on the cross. This type is known as the 'Christus patiens' (suffering Christ) which replaced the earlier type of the 'Christ triumphans.' The unknown painter was strongly influenced by Byzantine art. The pose of the body, with the hips curving to our left, is common in Byzantine representations.