Christ Nailed to the Cross
early 1580s
16th century
21 cm x 29.6 cm (8 1/4 in. x 11 5/8 in.)
Luca Cambiaso
(Moneglia, Italy, 1527 - 1585, El Escorial, Spain)
Primary
Object Type:
drawing
Artist Nationality:
Europe, Italian
Medium and Support:
Pen and brown ink and wash on antique laid paper
Credit Line:
Blanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin, The Suida-Manning Collection, 2017
Accession Number:
2017.960
This comes from a series of variations of the theme. They derive solely from the artist's imagination, not established iconography. From as far back as the Sibyls, Cambiaso has taken certain themes as an opportunity to express his virtuosity. At this last stage, with the cubic module reasserted and any material appeal suppressed, the virtuosity turned to invention alone, like a Jesuit's meditations on the life of Christ.