Christ Carrying the Cross

Oil on panelSebastiano del Piombo (Italian, c. 1485–1547)/c. 1515–17

Description

Devotional paintings of Jesus carrying the cross were highly sought after in the 16th century, and Sebastiano del Piombo created numerous versions of this subject. Here, Simon of Cyrene attempts to help Christ lift the heavy cross while a Roman soldier looks on menacingly. The powerful diagonals of the cross, poignant expressions of the figures, and luminous landscape background all serve to heighten the composition’s dramatic impact. A follower of Michelangelo and a rival of Raphael, Sebastiano was one of the most distinguished artists of the High Renaissance in Rome and the favorite painter of Pope Clement VII.

Provenance

Ochoa-Herrera family, Calle Muñoz y Garnica, Jaén, Spain, by at least 1956 but probably earlier [according to e-mail correspondence of February 19 and 26, 2016, between David Durán and Rebecca Long; copy in curatorial file. See also photograph of painting from 1956, labeled “collection of the widow Ochoa” and “Jaén,” in Arxiu Mas, Barcelona; copy in curatorial file]; sold by the family to Durán Arte y Subastas, Madrid, May 27, 2015, lot no. 78; bought by Goldengate Arts Ltd., Dublin [according to export license of July 23, 2015; copy in curatorial file]; sold to Colnaghi/Coll y Cortés, London and Madrid, October 2015 [according to e-mail correspondence of February 8, 2016, between Jorge Coll and Rebecca Long; copy in curatorial file]; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2016.

Dimensions

118 × 92 cm (46 7/16 × 36 1/4 in.)

Source

The Art Institute of Chicago

Movement / Period

Renaissance

Accession No

234781

Official Citations

[The Art Institute of Chicago Official Record][Full Resolution Image]

Curatorial Affinity Stream

Continuing the Universe of Sebastiano del Piombo (Italian, c. 1485–1547)

Renaissance • Italy • Harmonious Works & Contemporaries

Continuous Discovery