Masterful Corpus Christi

Masterful Corpus Christi
Italy
17th century
Carved softwood
Original & museum version
Height 83 cm

This masterful Corpus Christi is an extremely fine work of 17th century Italian sacred sculpture. The depiction captivates with a particularly fine, almost porcelain-like museum setting, which smoothes the surface of the carved wood and lends the body an almost unearthly luminosity.
Christ is shown in a three-nail pose: his sinewy, anatomically finely modeled figure hangs from the cross with his arms stretched out wide. While his body retains a subtle tension, his head appears to have sunk limply downwards – a moment of deepest exhaustion and devotion. This downward movement is reinforced by a loose, curly strand of hair that has come loose from his long, flowing brown hair and falls over his shoulder – a detail of extraordinary expressiveness and vitality. His short chin and whiskers are precisely carved out and lend his face a sublime dignity.
The white perizonium is particularly impressive, appearing almost like a continuation of Christ’s skin. In a wet-looking, angular style, the fabric nestles around his loins in artful folds and demonstrates the sculptor’s great technical mastery. This sculptural drapery was a characteristic feature of Baroque sacred art, emphasizing both the suffering and the sublimity of Christ.
With the masterful modeling of the incarnate and the subtle, moving elegance, this Corpus Christi is an outstanding example of 17th century Italian sculpture – a sculpture that evokes both devotion and artistic admiration.