49 - SCULPTOR ACTIVE IN TUSCANY AND UMBRIA IN THE 15TH CENTURY

SCULPTOR ACTIVE IN TUSCANY AND UMBRIA IN THE 15TH CENTURY CRUCIFIED CHRIST Carved wood with traces of polychromy, 75 cm. Damage and missing parts. An interesting wooden sculpture depicting Christ on the Cross, characterized by intense expressiveness and a sculptural style attributable to the late Gothic tradition of central Italy during the 15th century. The figure has his head bowed, his face marked by suffering, and his elongated body modeled with a certain attention to anatomical accuracy. Particularly significant is the loincloth, rendered in deep, angular, and overlapping folds, which lend movement and chiaroscuro vitality to the composition. The work shows affinities with the production of wooden crucifixes widespread throughout Tuscany, Umbria, and the Marche during the fifteenth century, within a cultural context that also includes the work of Giovanni Teutonico, a sculptor of Northern European origin active in central Italy. The marked pathos of the face, the elongated proportions, and the incisive treatment of the drapery of the loincloth tied on the right evoke that expressive sensibility of transalpine origin that characterizes part of the devotional sculpture of the period. Traces of the original polychromy, still visible in the flesh tones and the streaks of blood, help to convey the image’s powerful emotional and religious impact, serving as a significant testament to 15th-century wooden devotional art.