The Servant of God

The Sufferings of Christ

Jesus’ sheltered childhood is followed by the painful stations of the Cross. The arts illustrate this in unsparing realism. The depictions of the sufferings of Christ mirror the harshness of medieval legal practice. Public executions were a spectacle for the masses; human suffering was greedily cheered. Of course, the defencelessness of Christ is not a dumb passivity, but a resignation to the will of the Father. His suffering is the fulfilment of a divine plan of redemption.

Death on the Cross

The Passion of Christ is the heart of medieval piety. Numerous illustrations show Jesus’ agonising throes of death. Believers are meant to be able to reproduce his torment. They are called upon to suffer with him, to feel compassio. In his mind, the lookers-on are meant to be there among the crowd, witnessing the crucifixion on Golgotha. And in the blood thus shed, they shall see the source of their own salvation.

The Lamentation of Christ

Medieval piety with respect to the Passion of Christ produced two types of images the pietà and the Man of Sorrows. The pietà shows the deceased Christ after his Deposition from the Cross across the lap of his dolorous mother. As Man of Sorrows, Christ appears to believers in order to strengthen them like Doubting Thomas in their belief in the resurrection. As a proof of his suffering he displays the five stigmata. This imagery has a theological meaning. It stands for the church doctrine of the sacrament of the altar: during the sacrifice of the mass, Christ is present in the form of bread and wine.

In keeping with its significance for Christianity, the Crucifixion of Christ was included in the narratives of all four Evangelists.

The crucifix comes from Rachau near Knittelfeld and fits neatly in chronological terms between the Pöls processional cross (c.1180) and the Mühlau crucifix (c.1300), both of which are on display in the same room.

The Knittelfeld crucifix dates from around 1240/50 and features the ‘three-nail version’ (Dreinageltypus), which began to be depicted from around 1220/30 and eventually became the predominant style. Prior to this, there was the ‘four-nail version’ (Viernageltypus), in which the legs were shown parallel on the cross (see the Pöls processional cross).

Particularly striking is the almost dance-like crossing of the legs. The outstretched arms form a circular arc. Christ’s head is slightly tilted to one side. The transition to the new Gothic style is visible in the realistic details of the body: the prominent tendons of the arms caused by the weight of the hanging body, the suggestion of ribs and musculature, and the sharply defined shins.

Crucifix
Styria, c.1220–1240
Limewood
From Rachau near Knittelfeld
Provenance: Purchased from a private collection in Styria, 1969
Inv. P 330