Pieter Aertsen
1508-1575
The Crucifixion
13 3/8 x 9 9/16 inches (331 x 241 mm)
Pen and black ink and brown wash on laid paper, with lead white opaque watercolor, within a drawn frame.
BAT 2
Partial promised gift of the Baymeath Art Trust and partial purchase on the Herzog Fund.
Notes
The Crucifixion by Pieter Aertsen is a rare drawing - fewer than two dozen drawings by Aertsen are extant - by one of the most important artists working in the Netherlands in the middle of the sixteenth century. While perhaps best known today for his innovative genre scenes, Aertsen's religious works for churches in Antwerp and Amsterdam established his reputation. This drawing appears to be a complete study for such an altarpiece (unknown today). Aertsen enlivens a conventional Crucifixion scene with bold and distinctive details fully in keeping with his sensitive and imaginative approach. Expressive gestures and refined figures present a sense of palpable sorrow and anguish mingled with divine grace.
Inscriptions/Markings
Verso, unidentified collector's mark.
Associated names
Tremmel, Ingeborg, 1925-2002, former owner.
Artist
Classification
Century Drawings
School
Catalog link
Department