Christ on the Cross

Christ on the cross
Auvergne, 12th century
Polychromous wood (poplar)
H. 1.58 m
Dation, 1991; Cl 23409

This tall Christ figure is one of the rare examples of grand devotional sculpture from the Romanesque era in France. This sculpture may be related to a group of Romanesque Christ figures kept in Auvergne. At the end of the 19th century, this Christ was in the former knight's commandery at Saint-Jean de Jérusalem at Puy. Parts of this church go back as far as the 12th century. The expressive quality of this Christ dates it at the end of the Romanesque era. He is shown dead, head lolling on his right shoulder, eyes closed. It is no longer the triumphant, majestic Christ, but the suffering Christ, a theme which developed throughout Gothic sculpture.