Crucifix
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Crucifix , Christ , Crucifixion , Passion , Cross , Jesus
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Abstract
In the third exedra on the left of Santa Maria ad Martyres in Rome, also known as the Pantheon, is a sixteenth-century wooden crucifix framed by the original Roman brick wall of the temple.
The figure of Christ is depicted as skinny, bony, and angular, with an inwardly falling abdomen and limbs lacking muscle definition. His body protrudes from the cross, and the loincloth clings closely to his torso and thighs. This representation suggests that, despite being a sixteenth-century work, it was sculpted in a style reflecting earlier artistic traditions.
The crucifix was likely added to the Pantheon during the Renaissance, as part of the transformation of the pagan temple into a Christian church, a process that began in the seventh century. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.
Description
Santa Maria ad Martyres (Pantheon), Rome
Citation
Tod A. Marder, and Mark Wilson Jones, The Pantheon : From Antiquity to the Present (New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2015), 257-258; Roberto Vighi, The Pantheon (Roma: Tipografia Artistica, 1962), 45.