Christ on the Cross

In this small Crucifixion, Simone Martini presents Christ entirely alone on a wooden cross against a gold background. The slender, elongated body bends gently, and the lowered head suggests the moment after death. Red streams of blood run from the wounds in the hands, side, and feet. Above the crossbeam is the inscription INRI; below the feet lies a narrow mound of ground. There are no soldiers, angels, or mourners to accompany the suffering figure.

The work dates to about 1340 and is held by the Fogg Museum at Harvard Art Museums under accession number 1919.51. Painted in tempera and gold on wood, it measures 25 by 13.6 centimeters. Its scale and the absence of secondary narration encourage direct contemplation of the sacrifice. Before entering the museum in 1919, the panel belonged to Léon Bonnat, an episode that documents its passage through European collecting.