The Crucifixion

This Crucifixion by the Master of San Martino alla Palma, an anonymous Florentine painter of the second quarter of the Trecento, depicts the central event of the Christian narrative. Active around 1320-1340 in the circle of Bernardo Daddi, this master produced devotional works that transmitted the Giottesque tradition to a broad audience of Florentine churches and private patrons. The Crucifixion was the most widely represented subject in Gothic panel painting, serving as the focus of Passion meditation.

Painted in egg tempera on gold-ground panel, the composition follows the standard Trecento Crucifixion format with mourning figures gathered at the foot of the cross. The master's painting technique shows competent if somewhat formulaic application of Giottesque modeling, with clear outlines and simplified volumetric drapery.