The Crucifixion with Donors and Saints Peter and Margaret of Antioch

Cornelis Engebrechtsz

ca. 1525–30 · Oil on wood · European Paintings

Cornelis was the leading painter in the Dutch city of Leiden in the early sixteenth century. This strikingly symmetrical Crucifixion from his workshop combines piety and dramatic energy, pushing emotional effects to an extreme. The figure of Christ is isolated against the darkened sky; his tormented, lifeless body is flanked on either side by the crucified thieves, whose forms are contorted in agony. While the mourning Virgin echoes the posture of her son, indicating her empathic suffering, Saint John gazes up in grief at Christ. The two unidentified donors, probably husband and wife, are physically close to the scene but psychologically detached from it.

Artist

Cornelis Engebrechtsz

Date

ca. 1525–30

Medium

Oil on wood

Department

European Paintings

Credit line

Gift of Coudert Brothers, 1888