Christ Carrying the Cross (Bosch, Ghent)
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| Artist | Hieronymus Bosch |
|---|---|
| Year | 1510-1535 |
| Type | Oil on panel |
| Dimensions | 74 cm × 81 cm (29 in × 32 in) |
| Location | Museum voor Schone Kunsten |
Christ Carrying the Cross is a painting by Hieronymus Bosch. It was painted in the early 16th century, presumably between 1515 and 1516. The work is housed in the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent, Belgium.
History
The work was bought by the Ghent museum in 1902, and was restored in 1956-1957. As for all Bosch's works, the dating is uncertain, although most art historians assign it to his late career.[1] The catalog of an exhibition held in Rotterdam in 2001 assigned it 1510-1535, attributing the execution to an imitator.
There are two further versions of the subject by Bosch: a previous one in the Kunsthistorisches Museum of Vienna, from around 1500, and another from around 1498, now at the Royal Palace of Madrid.
Description
The work depicts Jesus carrying the cross above a dark background, surrounded by numerous heads, most of which characterized with grotesque faces. There are a total of eighteen portraits, plus one on Veronica's veil. Jesus has a woeful expression, his closed eyes and the head reclinate.
In the bottom right corner is the impenitent thief, who sneers against three men who are mocking him. The penitent thief is at top right: he is portrayed with a very pale skin, while being confessed by a horribly ugly monk.
The bottom left corner houses Veronica with the holy shroud, her eyes half-open and the face looking back. Finally, at the top left is Simon of Cyrene, his face upside upturned.
See also
References
- ↑ Varallo, Franca (2004). Bosch. Milan.
Sources
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Christ Carrying the Cross by Hieronymus Bosch (Ghent). |
Varallo, Franca (2004). Bosch. Milan.
- Anonymous. Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage Photolibrary, object number 78628, as Hieronymus Bosch, Christus draagt het kruis, circa 1510-1535, 76.7 × 83.5 cm (30.2 × 32.9 in). Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- Anonymous. Bildarchiv Foto Marburg, Bildindex der Kunst und Architektur, Object 20390576, as Hieronymus Bosch, Kreuztragung, 74 × 81 cm (29.1 × 31.9 in). Retrieved December 10, 2012.
- Friedländer, Max J. (1969). Early Netherlandisch Painting. Volume V. Geertgen tot Sint Jans and Jerome Bosch. Leiden: A.W. Slijthof. p. 82.
- Koldeweij, A.M.; Vandenbroeck, P.; Vermet, B. (2001), Jheronimus Bosch. Alle schilderijen en tekeningen, Rotterdam: NAi Uitgevers, p. 79, ISBN 90-5662-219-6
