Artwork
Carrying of the Cross
Carrying of the Cross is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Titian. It dates from 1565 and is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The subject depicts Christ en route to crucifixion, accompanied by Simon of Cyrene and bearing the cross crowned with thorns.
The subject depicts Christ en route to crucifixion, accompanied by Simon of Cyrene and bearing the cross crowned with thorns. This iconography symbolizes the moment of sacrificial suffering central to Christian theology, representing redemption through Christ's willing endurance of the Passion.
The painting, housed in the Hermitage Museum, draws its narrative directly from the Gospel accounts of the Via Dolorosa, emphasizing themes of sacrifice and divine purpose.
Technique & Style
Titian executed the Carrying of the Cross in 1565 using oil paint on a canvas support. The artwork measures 89 cm in height and 77 cm in width. As a religious painting, the composition focuses on the main subject of Christ carrying the cross, specifically depicting Jesus Christ alongside Simon of Cyrene. The imagery incorporates the cross and the crown of thorns, anchoring the work in its devotional genre.
History & Provenance
Titian painted Carrying of the Cross in 1565 using oil on canvas. The work was created in Italy and depicts Christ carrying the cross, accompanied by Simon of Cyrene, with iconographic elements including the cross, the crown of thorns, and Jesus Christ as the central subject. The painting entered the collection of the Hermitage Museum, where it is displayed in hall 221.
Overview
Titian’s Carrying of the Cross, executed in oil in 1565, presents a dramatic moment from the Passion narrative. The composition centers on a gaunt figure bearing a massive wooden cross, flanked by a secondary figure who assists him. The work is part of the State Hermitage Museum’s collection and exemplifies the artist’s late‑period religious output within the broader Mannerist tendency toward heightened emotional expression.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Tiziano Vecellio (Italian:; c. 1488/1490 – 27 August 1576), Latinized as Titianus, hence known in English as Titian ( TISH-ən), was an Italian Renaissance painter. The most important artist of Renaissance Venetian…
