DONATELLO
(b. ca. 1386, Firenze, d. 1466, Firenze)

Crucifix

1412-13
Wood, 168 x 173 cm
Santa Croce, Florence

The wooden Crucifix in the Church of Santa Croce is attributed to Donatello, although this attribution is not shared by all art historians. The datation of this work is also controversial. Some scholars consider it as one of the first sculptures by Donatello while others think it was executed at around 1425. The study of the iconography suggests the date 1412-13.

The intensely life-like face of the dead Christ was not appreciated by Brunelleschi, who accused Donatello of having, in Vasari's words, crucified a peasant. But it reflects Donatello's creative force, his incessant search for new forms of expression, free from established rules, with which to experiment.




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