On the Way to Calvary

Maker Master of the Presentation of Christ (Austrian, active ca. 1420 - 1440)

Collections

European Paintings

ClassificationsPAINTINGS

Dateearly 15th Century

Mediumoil on panel

Dimensionspanel: 12 × 13 in. (30.5 × 33 cm.) frame: 15 × 14 3/4 × 1 1/2 in. (38.1 × 37.5 × 3.8 cm.)

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. The Arabella D. Huntington Memorial Art Collection.

Label TextHere, Christ carries the cross on which he will be crucified through a menacing crowd. He looks back toward his followers while the men directly behind him urge him on with violent gestures. The artist has created a feeling of compressed tension by placing all of the figures in the cramped lower half while the top half is a rhythmic pattern of spears, ladder, and flag. A gap in the procession isolates the sorrowful Christ and asks the viewer to contemplate the impending sacrifice.

Status

Not on view

Object number26.114