Simone Martini
The Crucifixion

1333
Tempera on wood, 9⅔ x 6.1 in. (24.5 x 15.5 cm.)
Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp

From the altarpiece known as the Passion Polyptych (or Orsini Polyptych).

Angels left and right of the cross are common in medieval Crucifixion iconography; in the 14th century they are sometimes pictured in various attitudes of grief. In this case their grief echoes that of the disciples below. Mary Magdalene hugs the cross as if she could keep Jesus from leaving her. A boy on the right urges an adult, and the viewer, to consider her anguish. Meanwhile, on the left Jesus' mother has fainted, to the consternation of St. John and the women. Behind them, the soldier is plunging his spear into Jesus' side.

Read more about images of the Crucifixion.

Source: Web Gallery of Art