Boccaccio Boccaccino, 'Christ carrying the Cross and the Virgin Mary Swooning', about 1501
About the work
Overview
This is thought to be one of Boccaccino’s earliest known works. It is an altarpiece painted for the choir screen of the church of S. Domenico in Cremona.
Christ carries the Cross escorted by three soldiers, two of whom are pulling the rope around his neck. The procession winds up the hill, on top of which two crosses have been erected. The two thieves who will be crucified beside Jesus walk ahead wearing only loincloths. Saint John, dressed in red, clasps his hands and looks down at the Virgin who has fainted and is surrounded by the three Marys, who were later to discover Christ’s empty tomb.
Saint John’s position in the centre of the altarpiece suggests he was the subject of special devotion by the person who commissioned it. The swooning (lo spasimo in Italian) of the Virgin is an episode shown in a number of sixteenth-century Italian paintings of Christ carrying the Cross, and this altar in S. Domenico was dedicated to the mystery.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Christ carrying the Cross and the Virgin Mary Swooning
- Artist
- Boccaccio Boccaccino
- Artist dates
- before 1466 - 1525
- Date made
- about 1501
- Medium and support
- oil on wood
- Dimensions
- 136.6 × 134.6 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Bought, 1870
- Inventory number
- NG806
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Nicholas Penny, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Italian Paintings’, vol. 1, ‘Paintings from Bergamo, Brescia and Cremona’, London 2004; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
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1951Davies, Martin, National Gallery Catalogues: The Earlier Italian Schools, London 1951
-
1986Davies, Martin, National Gallery Catalogues: The Earlier Italian Schools, revised edn, London 1986
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
-
2004
Penny, Nicholas, National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Italian Paintings, 1, Paintings from Bergamo, Brescia and Cremona, London 2004
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.