Artwork
Carrying the Cross
Carrying the Cross is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Orazio Gentileschi. It dates from 1607 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The focus on Christ’s solitary figure underscores the gravity of the moment, reflecting the religious genre’s emphasis on devotional contemplation.
The painting depicts Christ carrying the cross, a pivotal moment in the Passion of Jesus in Christian iconography.
Orazio Gentileschi’s composition centers on the solitary figure of Christ burdened under the weight of the cross, emphasizing the physical and spiritual ordeal of the event. The work aligns with traditional representations of the subject, where the act symbolizes Christ’s sacrifice and the path to redemption. The focus on Christ’s solitary figure underscores the gravity of the moment, reflecting the religious genre’s emphasis on devotional contemplation.
Technique & Style
Orazio Gentileschi executed Carrying the Cross in 1607 using oil paint applied to a panel support. The work measures 138.5 cm in height and 173 cm in width. As a religious painting, the composition depicts Christ carrying the cross, rendered in the artist's characteristic medium of oil on panel. The piece is currently held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
History & Provenance
Carrying the Cross is an oil painting on panel created in 1607 by Orazio Gentileschi. It measures 138.5 cm in height and 173 cm in width and depicts Christ carrying the cross. The work is part of the collection at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, where it has remained since its creation.
Carrying the Cross by Orazio Gentileschi is held by the Kunsthistorisches Museum, where it forms part of the museum's collection. According to the Wikidata record for the work, its location is listed as the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, and the painting is catalogued within that institution's holdings. The work, an oil-on-panel piece dated to 1607, measures 138.5 cm in height by 173 cm in width. No specific inventory or accession number, nor any documented exhibition history, is provided in the available sources.
No further provenance details, prior owners, or exhibition records are recorded in the sources supplied for this facet.
Overview
Created in 1607 by the Tuscan-born painter Orazio Gentileschi, this oil on canvas portrays the moment of Christ bearing the cross. The work belongs to the early Baroque period and is currently housed in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
Context
The work reflects the transitional phase of Italian art when artists moved from the elegant artificiality of Mannerism toward the visceral realism championed by Caravaggio. Gentileschi’s adoption of this approach situates the piece within broader Counter‑Reformation efforts to present religious subjects with emotional immediacy.
Artist & collection
Artist
Orazio Lomi Gentileschi (Italian pronunciation: ; 1563 – 7 February 1639) was an Italian painter.
