Christ Carrying the Cross
Preparation of the Cross
Purchased on the Belle da Costa Greene Fund with the assistance of the Fellows and with special assistance of Mrs. Frederick B. Adams, Sr., Mrs. Robert Charles, Mr. Laurens M. Hamilton, The Heineman Foundation, Mrs. Donald F. Hyde, Mrs. Jacob M. Kaplan
With his pinched face and right hand supporting his back, Simon of Cyrene seems to offer only grudging assistance to Christ as he carries his Cross toward Calvary. Suspended from the Savior's waist on ropes are two spike blocks, nail-studded chunks of wood that applied special torture to his bare feet and ankles. Trailing the pair are Mary and St. John, stalwart witnesses to Christ's Passion. In the border, Veronica holds the sudarium, the cloth with which she wiped Christ's face and to which he miraculously imparted his image. In the unusual second miniature, Christ quietly observes the preparation of the Cross: its crossbeam is strengthened and a hole is drilled where his feet will be nailed. A grief-stricken Mary watches from behind the hillock.