Artwork
Christ carrying the Cross
Christ carrying the Cross is an oil painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Lucas Cranach the Elder. It dates from 1538 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts Jesus Christ carrying the cross, a central subject in Christian religious art that illustrates the Passion narrative.
The work depicts Jesus Christ carrying the cross, a central subject in Christian religious art that illustrates the Passion narrative. As a painting executed in oil on a pine panel, it visually represents the moment of Christ's journey to his crucifixion. The iconography focuses strictly on the main subject of Christ bearing the instrument of his execution, serving as a devotional image within the genre of religious art.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil paint on a pine panel, the work measures 107 cm in height by 84 cm in width. The wooden support and oil medium are consistent with Lucas Cranach the Elder's established panel-painting practice of the period, while the religious subject of Christ carrying the Cross is rendered in a devotional mode typical of his late production. The painting is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
History & Provenance
Christ carrying the Cross is an oil-on-pine-panel painting by Lucas Cranach the Elder, dated 1538. The work, which depicts Christ bearing the cross, was created in the same year as several other religious paintings by the artist and entered the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, where it remains held today. No information about its commission, original patron, or intermediate ownership before its acquisition by the museum is documented in the available sources.
The painting measures 107 cm in height by 84 cm in width.
The painting Christ carrying the Cross by Lucas Cranach the Elder is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Created in 1538, the work is executed in oil paint on a pine panel measuring 107 cm in height and 84 cm in width. The available sources confirm its location within this specific museum but do not provide a specific inventory number or details regarding its exhibition history.
Overview
Christ carrying the Cross is an oil painting created by Lucas Cranach the Elder in 1538. It is a representation of a pivotal moment in Christian narrative and is currently housed at the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
Context
This painting illustrates a key episode in the Passion of Christ, a central theme in Christian iconography. The scene is part of a larger narrative that precedes Christ's crucifixion.
Artist & collection
Artist
Lucas Cranach the Elder was a German Renaissance painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving.
