Curatorial Notes
Devotional paintings of Jesus carrying the cross were highly sought after in the 16th century, and Sebastiano del Piombo created numerous versions of this subject. Here, Simon of Cyrene attempts to help Christ lift the heavy cross while a Roman soldier looks on menacingly. The powerful diagonals of the cross, poignant expressions of the figures, and luminous landscape background all serve to heighten the composition’s dramatic impact. A follower of Michelangelo and a rival of Raphael, Sebastiano was one of the most distinguished artists of the High Renaissance in Rome and the favorite painter of Pope Clement VII.
Artwork Identification
Title Christ Carrying the Cross
Title (PT) Cristo Carregando a Cruz
Title (ES) Cristo con la Cruz a Cuestas
Artist Sebastiano del Piombo
Artist Bio Sebastiano del Piombo (Italian, c. 1485–1547)
Date c. 1515–17
Work Type Painting
Location & Collection
Institution Art Institute of Chicago
Source View Museum Page
License Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0
