Berlin Crucifixion Panel

The Crucifixion of Berlin is an excellent piece by the Italian painter and architect Giotto di Bondone who was popularly known as Giotto. He showcases his ability by coming up with this remarkable artwork. You should, however, know that there is a debate on whether Giotto executed the painting.

The Gemäldegalerie currently catalogues this panel as Giotto, about 1315–20, inventory 1074A, with a painted image measuring 59.7 × 36.2 cm on poplar. The attribution discussed below has a history of named alternatives; the museum's present confidence should be distinguished from those earlier judgements. ^[1]

Introduction

The credit often goes to a disciple of Giotto, and people tend to attribute it to the same individual who completed the Crucifixion of Strasbourg. The medium that Giotto used to develop the painting is tempera and gold on a wooden panel. It was in 1335, approximately, during the early period of the Italian renaissance, with the item in front of us here dated instead at circa 1320. Giotto developed a spectacular painting detailing his idea of the crucifixion. Remember, the accounts tend to differ from one artist to another, but most of their depictions have many similarities. One can compare different paintings of The Crucifixion across different stages of the Italian Renaissance and also into North European art as well.

The date of approximately 1335 mentioned above does not apply to the Berlin panel's current museum dating. Its tall, pointed outline is immediately recognisable: a narrow gathering of people occupies the bottom, while Christ's extended arms and the circling angels fill the golden space overhead. Looking from the little figures at the lower edge to the summit of the gable gives the scene a startling change of scale. The crowd can seem almost within reach, yet Christ hangs high above it.

Giotto, an Italian painter and architect describes the crucifixion in his unique way. The artist attempts to recreate the powerful mood of this event but also to add his own creative ideas within the accepted narrative. He would draw on the original scripture, as well as other examples produced by related artists and then append his own stylistic techniques on top. The gold leaf paint was found right across his career and is perhaps one of the reasons for why many have attributed the Berlin Crucifixion to his hand. Giotto was entirely aware of all of the major themes of Christianity and was regularly commissioned to recreate various famous scenes from scripture for different projects all across Italy. His talents became very much in demand and his name alone was enough to acquire many high profile commissions.

Gold leaf is the appropriate term for the gilded ground; “gold leaf paint” combines two different materials. A gold background alone cannot identify an artist. Here its visual effect is easier to establish: the uninterrupted field separates the thin red streams of blood, pale body and fluttering wings from the crowded ranks below. The eye moves across that field without encountering a distant landscape or a city skyline.

Across his career, Giotto would work in locations such as Florence, Rome and Padua, completing single artworks in most cases, but also some larger series of works. He is believed to have been taught by fellow master, Cimabue , though many question marks remain from this period of art, because of how many centuries have passed since and also the lack of documentation that remains from that era. Many of these historical artworks have had to be moved from their intended locations into modern art galleries in order to protect them for the long term. One benefit of this is that many more people have been able to view these paintings as a result, although the display can never match the historical architecture found within the original churches or chapels around which each artwork was designed.

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Table of Contents

• Description of the Painting

• The Mood of the Berlin Crucifixion

• History of the Painting

• Attribution of the Berlin Crucifixion

• Where can the Artwork be Found Today?

• What Related Artworks can be Found at the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin?

• Did Giotto Produce any other Crucifixion Paintings?

• What Techniques were used for this Artwork?

• Large Image of the Berlin Crucifixion

Description of the Painting

There are children available who are trying to have a verbal conversation with an adult wearing a black gown. Near the cross, Mary is seen kneeling looking up at her son with another woman by her side looking at Berlin. The remarkable inclusion of people is what makes the painting even more exciting. He pays more attention to the cross as he delivers a stunning image of Berlin on his final moments of agony.Blood is seen trickling to the foot of the cross, which is securely implanted on the ground. His attention to detail gives the painting a perfect finish. He includes several angels who are flying around Berlin. On either side, angels are tapping the blood coming from Berlin's wrists into bowls. It is one of the supernatural features which is visible in the painting. The angels are, however, unseen by the people, and that is why Giotto tries to make them blend with the gold background.

For clarity, the crucified figure throughout this description is Jesus Christ; Berlin names the painting's modern location, never a person in the scene. Mary Magdalene, with long loose hair and a red mantle, kneels against the upright of the cross. Christ's mother is the blue-clad woman collapsing among the mourners on the viewer's left. A small, yellow-clad child stands at the far left beside that group, looking upwards. These visible figures do not establish the proposed conversation between children and a black-gowned adult. On the right, the dark garment belongs within a separate gathering of armed and other witnesses.

Ten angels can be distinguished, five on either side. Three hold vessels: one beneath each nailed hand and another beside the wound in Christ's side. Others bend their heads, open their arms or bring their hands towards their faces. Their bodies taper away into flying drapery, which gives them an entirely different movement from the planted feet and heavy robes below. Their presence expresses the event's heavenly significance; the painting cannot tell us literally what each earthly witness can or cannot see.

The painting shows the Biblical Christ, Jesus the Saviour crucified, and seemingly lifeless. The cross stands on a rock, and a skull is underneath. The interpretation is that the place is Golgotha, "the Place of the Skull." The area signifies death, and it's no wonder the Saviour is about to die here. On the left are roman soldiers holding Jesus' cloth. They seem to argue about who is going to take it. The scenario is really sad. Peter, one of the closest disciples of Jesus and a saint, watches in deep concern and sadness. He is grieved by the death of His friend, as displayed by the cries of angels hovering above Jesus. Towards the left is a scene that juxtaposes with that on the right. While the Roman soldiers seem to have made an achievement, the pious and devout on the left are mourning. Mary mother of Jesus is in deep grief and can barely stand without the support of holy women and St. John. Mary Magdalene bends over Jesus' feet, whose wounds are bloody from the nailing.

The young, haloed man in pink supporting the Virgin is Saint John the Evangelist, rather than Peter. The garment episode belongs on the viewer's right. John 19:23–24 distinguishes the division of Christ's clothing from the casting of lots for his seamless tunic; verses 25–27 place his mother, Mary Magdalene and the beloved disciple beside the cross. The narrative provides the relationships, while the painting gives them particular bodies, colours and gestures. ^[21]

Christ and attending angels in the Berlin Crucifixion; this crop does not include every angel. Image source. Public domain. Proportionally reduced reproduction; no colour or content enhancement.

The red-painted upright runs between the two foreground groups and descends into a low, jagged mound. Blood continues below Magdalene's kneeling figure onto the pale ground. The dark opening and bone-like form beneath the cross recall Golgotha, the place whose name Matthew translates as the Place of the Skull. The further identification of such a skull with Adam belongs to Christian interpretive tradition. It links Christ's death to humanity's redemption; it is not a statement in Matthew that Adam was buried there. ^{[22] [23]}

The Crucifixion by Giotto was inspired by the piety life and the devastating departure of Jesus. The Franciscans also played a significant role in influencing Giotto, since they were striving hard to live the lowly life of Jesus, and to be perfect examples in practising his teachings. A person looking at the picture gets the feel of firsthand experience as a witness of the advents and feelings that engulf the atmosphere. Christ's face is upon the Holy ones who are on the left of the picture. This gesture shows Jesus's compassion towards His faithful followers, which lights some hope in the sense that it's not over, and Christ is going to save them somehow, even in this situation. Jesus has a halo that shines on his head and not a crown of thorns.

A Franciscan emphasis on Christ's suffering can help explain the wider devotional importance of this subject, but it does not identify this panel's original patron or destination. Those particulars remain unestablished here. The visible relationship between mother and son is more specific: Christ's head inclines towards the mourners, while Mary's head drops in the same general direction. Their bodies are separated by height and empty gold, yet their tilts bring them into a quiet correspondence. Reading compassion into that relationship is a devotional interpretation, rather than evidence that a particular thought can be recovered from a painted face.

The halo signifies glory, which also appears on all the other saints. The halo also juxtaposes with the situation of the devout, who are in deep sorrow. The armed and celebratory soldiers are disregarded since they are not expected to argue about who would take Jesus's cloth. It is shameful and unworthy of them. One of the soldiers is shoe-less, which contradicts with the power displayed by the swords in their hands. The Crucifixion by Giotto carries lots of contrast that is widely used to differentiate two groups. The cross at the centre cuts across the worlds of the people with precision. The symmetry is perfect, not even the number of angels (five) on each side of the cross deviates.

Equal numbers of angels give the upper scene a balanced framework, though their poses do not make exact mirror images. Below, the two sides are markedly unequal. The left is bound together by touching hands and overlapping haloes; on the right, pointed weapons and raised arms break into the open ground. The foreground figure in blue has red-clad legs and feet, so the suggested bare foot should not be used as a symbolic key. The painting offers a range of reactions rather than one expression shared by every person.

The Virgin's collapse is especially forceful because its weight has to be carried. Her blue mantle bends into a broad diagonal, and John turns his body to receive her. The women behind press close enough that their faces and head coverings form a tight sequence. A hand placed beside Mary's head makes support tangible. Magdalene, by contrast, directs her energy vertically: her lifted face, clasp around the shaft and long cascade of hair carry attention back towards Christ's feet. Two kinds of grief occupy neighbouring spaces, one falling away and the other reaching upwards.

The Mood of the Berlin Crucifixion

There is a sombre mood of people throughout the painting. He uses his painting skills to come up with an environment filled with sorrow, hope, and confusion. He also becomes creative when it comes to incorporating the crowd in the setting. He does it so well that you can see masses of people without being overly so to overwhelm the main subject in the painting. If you take a closer look, you will notice that the centurions are carrying different types of weapons. Everyone is standing, waiting eagerly to see what is going to happen next. It is a sorrowful painting that clearly defines the crucifixion of Berlin. This religious painting is currently situated in Gemäldegalerie, an art museum in Berlin.

Several people stand, but Mary falls into supporting arms and Magdalene kneels; the scene is not uniformly upright or expectant. Christ's hanging body and the blood from the side wound suggest that the image gathers the consequences of his death. In John 19:33–34, the soldier pierces his side after finding him already dead. The picture combines the wounded body, the mourners and the soldiers' garment episode into a concentrated devotional whole, rather than illustrating a single instant with the timing of a modern eyewitness photograph. ^[21]

The lower mourners, Magdalene, soldiers and mounted witnesses in Berlin. Image source. Public domain. Proportionally reduced reproduction; no colour or content enhancement.

At the far right a mounted figure raises an arm, high above the tightly packed heads. Two horses' heads press into the gathering, their bridles adding thin red lines to the larger pattern of red cloth. The scale of these animals makes the compressed space feel more crowded, even though most of their bodies disappear behind the people. Across the panel, upright lances and other weapons keep the eye moving upwards. Their narrow shafts also measure the much stronger vertical of the cross.

Christ's body supplies a different rhythm. His arms descend from the hands towards the shoulders, his torso narrows, and his joined legs lead to the small foot support. The translucent-looking loincloth gathers in fine folds at his hips before falling along one thigh. The pale limbs and darker folds convey suspended weight through line and light. Around him, pale wings and tiny vessels require close attention; below him, the broad blue, pink, green and red garments make the principal groups legible at a glance.

History of the Painting

The Crucifixion by Giotto from 1320 was produced on a panel which measures 58 cm × 33 cm. It can be found today at the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, Germany, making it one of very few Giotto paintings to be located within this European nation. The artwork is believed to have been moved to the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin in around 1821, though most information on this arrangement remains untranslated from its original German. The two centuries that have passed since the painting arrived in Berlin has meant that most historians now refer to it simply as the Berlin Crucifixion, helping people to identify it when the artist was still under discussion. Additionally, most major names from that period would actually complete several different interpretations of this content, meaning there needed to be a clear way of differentiating them from each other. The same naming convention was used for a similar, slightly earlier piece which resides in the French city of Strasbourg.

The current measurement given at the beginning of this article should be used in place of 58 × 33 cm; no explanation for the discrepancy is established. The museum records purchase from Edward Solly in 1821. Aloys Hirt earmarked it for possible exchange in 1823; successive labels included Bartolo Senese, Memmi and Spinello Aretino. Sent to Königsberg in 1837, it returned through Wilhelm Bode in 1884. Exhibited in Florence as workshop in 1937, it convinced Roberto Longhi of Giotto's authorship despite heavy restoration. ^[1]

This itinerary changes the meaning of “Berlin” in the title. It is a practical name for the object, not a claim that the painting has remained continuously in one Berlin display since its acquisition. Nor does its nineteenth-century collection history reveal the medieval setting for which it was made. A pointed silhouette may suggest the architectural language of an altarpiece, but the surviving shape does not by itself recover a commission, an altar or missing companion panels.

Attribution of the Berlin Crucifixion

Most historians agree that this artwork was produced in around 1320, which would place it towards the end of Giotto's life. Initial judgements attributed it to Giotto but over the past century or so, alternative opinions have been brought forward. No other specific name has ever really been mentioned, but some respected experts have suggested that actually this piece could have been produced by a follower of Giotto, someone who worked in a similar manner and was highly skilled in their own right. The Strasbourg Crucifixion from several years earlier has experienced a similar level of discussion and many have drawn comparisons between the two, suggesting that whoever completed the Berlin version is likely to have been behind that piece too. Considering the amount of research that has gone into these paintings already, it seems unlikely that a definite answer as to the attribution will ever be found.

The statement that no other specific name was proposed is therefore incorrect: the named historical labels appear above. The museum now strongly supports Giotto. ^[1] That institutional judgement deserves a clear account on its own terms. Gold, fame and the volume of previous research cannot settle authorship. Equally, a past attribution to a follower does not automatically describe the present scholarly position. Future examination and comparison remain possible; the history of this very panel demonstrates how much assessments can change.

Restoration adds a further difficulty to stylistic judgement. An observer meets a surface with a history, while an attribution concerns the making of the painting centuries earlier. The two questions overlap without becoming identical. A damaged or altered detail can retain something of an original design, and a clearly legible passage may still need technical examination before its condition is understood. For a reader enjoying the picture, this means that close looking can illuminate the composition without becoming a claim to determine its author independently.

Where can the Artwork be Found Today?

The Gemäldegalerie in Germany has hosted the Berlin Crucifixion since around 1821. The list the piece under the German translation of Die Kreuzigung Christi, with a rough date of 1315-1320. The artwork itself is 59.7cm tall by 36.2cm wide. Their discussion on the piece suggests is definitely to be a Giotto piece, and they acclaim the strength of emotion delivered within this piece. It is quite common that the owners of particular paintings from past centuries will be more inclined to give a definitive attribution that other historians, with it being in their interest to link their collection to the greatest names in European art. That said, no other specific name has ever been put forward and so one cannot really argue too strongly against their own conclusion. The gallery will, no doubt, also have a number of highly qualified historians at their disposal who would have collectively come up with this position after extensive research into the history of this work.

The inventory and the named attribution history above provide a firmer basis for identifying the painting and explaining the museum's position. Ownership alone is neither a reason to accept nor a reason to dismiss an attribution. For locating this particular object, inventory 1074A is more precise than the general title Crucifixion. A collection entry also does not guarantee that a work will be in a particular room on the day of a visit.

What Related Artworks can be Found at the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin?

The gallery hosts and enviable collection of European art from the Renaissance era, with Giotto just one of the great names to be found here. One of our favourites would have to be Portrait of a Young Girl by Petrus Christus . They also offer Portrait of Jakob Muffel by Albrecht Durer plus also an entire room dedicated to German medieval religious paintings. Specific movements which are covered in good detail here include the Dutch Golden Age and Italian Baroque, including the mighty Caravaggio. Various paintings by Rembrandt and Bruegel the Elder can also be located here in a large and high class collection which has been added to for several centuries.

A particularly useful comparison within the Berlin collection is the Death of the Virgin. Its wide, low format gathers attendants around a horizontal bier, whereas this panel assembles its witnesses beneath a soaring vertical cross. In both, the arrangement of bodies makes mourning visible. Comparing the two formats is more revealing than assuming that a similar religious subject required a similar composition. The broader collection examples above should be understood as works to investigate, rather than a promise of a fixed room arrangement.

Did Giotto Produce any other Crucifixion Paintings?

Giotto regularly completed major themes several times over, with other examples including the likes of The Crucifixion , Crucifix in Santa Maria Novella plus also the Strasbourg Crucifixion. This powerful and emotional theme was one of the most popular within Christian art during all periods of the Renaissance and the artist would often be asked to produce commissioned pieces based around it. You will notice variations in the layout and format of each piece, with Giotto adapting his content to fit the environment in which each piece was to be displayed. Those commissioning such items would also often call upon the services of the finest sculptors to recreate this theme in marble too, underlining how it became re-used in so many different ways from the period of Giotto and Cimabue, all the way into even the Baroque era several centuries later.

Giotto's Crucifix in Santa Maria Novella

The Scrovegni Chapel Crucifixion is the most immediate comparison for the division between mourners and garment episode. Against its blue field, the angels and Christ's body occupy a broader rectangle. The Berlin painter accommodates related figures beneath a gable: the crossbeam reaches towards its sloping sides, and two angels rise high into the pointed space. Berlin also packs more ranks, weapons and mounted witnesses into the lower zone. ^[24] These differences affect the experience of looking, even before questions of date or attribution are raised.

The Crucifix in Santa Maria Novella offers a different object type. There the wooden support follows the cross itself, with subsidiary figures at its extremities. Here the cross is depicted inside a larger painted field that has room for surrounding people, angels and the stony ground. A shaped painted cross, a small narrative panel and a chapel wall painting can share a subject while making very different demands on a viewer. The comparison helps explain why Berlin's narrow golden opening feels so densely inhabited.

What Techniques were used for this Artwork?

The artist would use tempera and gold for this piece, directly onto a wooden panel which was carefully crafted in order to receive this unusually angled piece. The top of the work is diagonal, for example, with a gold frame now found right around the artwork. Giotto tended to signify the divine figures in his works with golden halos and would also paint most of the background using the same tone. This created an uplifting impact, which helped his work to stand out, although there were others at that time who also used gold paint in a similar manner. Giotto had a favourite palette for incorporating clothing into his work, with tones of blue, red, pink and light green being visible here. The details still look fairly fresh because of how the current owner's have taken time to preserve and protect this piece for future generations to enjoy. The artist also incorporates a large number of figures in the lower part of the composition, whilst behind Christ a series of angels fly around in the distance.

The wooden support, painted colour and gilding should be kept distinct. Tempera describes a paint medium; poplar identifies the support; gold leaf supplies the metallic ground. Calling all the golden areas “gold paint” obscures that distinction. Specific pigments, underpainting and the original sequence of preparation would require technical evidence for this panel. They cannot be inferred securely from the blue of Mary's mantle or the green and pink garments in a photograph.

The gable is also more than an unusual edge. Its slopes draw the eye towards the angels at the top, while the painted cross establishes a rectangular structure within that triangle. Near the lower corners the crowd presses outwards, almost against the sides. Higher up there is room for wings to spread. The picture alternates compression and release without requiring a deep view into the distance.

Visible cracks, worn passages and uneven areas belong to the appearance encountered today. The continued legibility of a garment or face cannot, on its own, explain how much conservation has contributed or establish the original freshness of a colour. In a close view, the most rewarding details are often relationships that survive at different levels of surface preservation: the vessel held beneath a hand, John's turn towards Mary, and Magdalene's arms enclosing the cross. Each gives the crowded scene a clear point of contact.

Large Image of the Berlin Crucifixion

A large view is most useful when it preserves the complete gabled outline alongside the smaller details. Begin with the empty gold around Christ, then follow the blood down towards the rocky mound. Return to the left to see how Mary is supported, and compare that enclosing knot of figures with the reaching arms and upward-looking faces on the right. Finally, look back to the angels: their varied movements carry responses to the Crucifixion into the space that the human crowd cannot fill. The panel's small scale makes these changes of attention unusually intimate.