Description

This expertly cast bronze is one of the finest surviving versions of a lost silver crucifix that Alessandro Algardi made for Pope Innocent X in 1646. Algardi’s Christ displays the agonized emotion caused by his torture on the cross, yet his body appears graceful and idealized. The cross is made of stained and ebonized pearwood and appears to be original, with the drilled holes at the bottom most likely indicating its method of installation on an altar.

Provenance

Probably Bartolomeo dal Pozzo (d. 1722), Verona, by 1722 [this and the following according to Trinity Fine Art, Limited, London invoice dated 10 October 2003]. Santa Maria in Organo, Verona. Possibly Imbert, Milan [invoice cited]. Julius Goldschmidt, London, by 1954 [invoice cited]. Private Collection, London. Trinity Fine Art, Limited, London, by 2003; sold to the Art Institute, 2004.

Crucifix

Alessandro Algardi

c. 1646

Accession Number

182379

Medium

Bronze, wood with ebonizing and staining

Dimensions

188.9 × 75.6 cm (74 × 30 in.); Corpus: 77.5 × 59.2 cm (30 1/2 × 23 in.)

Classification

bronze

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Alyce and Edwin DeCosta and Walter E. Heller Foundation Endowment; Mrs. J. Ward Thorne Fund; purchased with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Fred Krehbiel, Mr. and Mrs. John Jeffry Louis, III, and Harry A. Root

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