Tickets
English
DonateMembership
Tickets

The Crucifixion

Designer Design attributed to Bernard van Orley Netherlandish
Workshop director Pieter van Aelst the Younger Flemish
Workshop director Pieter de Pannemaker Netherlandish
design ca. 1515, woven ca. 1525
Not on view
With the crucified Christ anchoring the composition, a host of angels fills a turbulent sky, holding the symbols of the Passion. Below, John the Evangelist strides in from the left; at the right, Mary Magdalene, richly-dressed fitting to the popular perception of her as a reformed courtesan, elegantly crumples forward with hand-wringing grief. Also weeping, the Virgin Mary gazes up at her son, and a third holy woman, possibly Mary of Cleophas, embraces the cross. The painterly detail of the tapestry’s design extends to the minutely observed background landscape, in which the bracketing episodes of the carrying of the cross and the entombment can be glimpsed flanking the central scene. To this the virtuoso tapestry-weavers, clearly at the pinnacle of their profession, have brought a material sumptuousness which would have glimmered in the candlelight and which serve to rank this tapestry amongst the richest survivals of the period.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Crucifixion
  • Designer: Design attributed to Bernard van Orley (Netherlandish, Brussels ca. 1492–1541/42 Brussels)
  • Workshop director: Pieter van Aelst the Younger (Flemish, active 1509–55) , probably; or
  • Workshop director: Pieter de Pannemaker (Netherlandish, active 1517–1535) , possibly
  • Date: design ca. 1515, woven ca. 1525
  • Culture: Netherlandish, Brussels
  • Medium: Wool, silk, silver thread, silver-gilt thread (20-21 warps per inch, 7-8 per cm.)
  • Dimensions: Overall (confirmed 11/13/07): 98 1/2 x 100 3/4 in. (250.2 x 255.9 cm);
    Overall (unknown date): 99 x 98 in. (251.5 x 248.9 cm);
    Slat: 100” x 3 ½” x 1” with Velcro/webbing, security straps
  • Classification: Textiles-Tapestries
  • Credit Line: Bequest of George Blumenthal, 1941
  • Object Number: 41.190.136
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
The Last Supper, Bernard van Orley Netherlandish, Wool, silk, silver-gilt thread.
The Last Supper
Designed by Bernard van Orley
Probably woven by Pieter de Pannemaker
ca. 1525–28
Armet, Guillem Margot Flemish, Steel, copper alloy, South Netherlandish, Brussels
Armet
Armorer Guillem Margot
ca. 1505
The Unicorn Purifies Water (from the Unicorn Tapestries), Wool warp with wool, silk, silver, and gilt wefts, French (cartoon)/South Netherlandish (woven)
The Unicorn Purifies Water (from the Unicorn Tapestries)
French (cartoon)/South Netherlandish (woven)
1495–1505
Otto, Count of Nassau and his Wife Adelheid van Vianen, Bernard van Orley Netherlandish, Pen and brown ink, watercolor over black chalk (recto); tracing in black chalk of the figures on the recto (verso)
Otto, Count of Nassau and his Wife Adelheid van Vianen
Bernard van Orley
1530–35
The Nativity Polyptych, Rogier van der Weyden Netherlandish, Oil on oak, Netherlandish
The Nativity Polyptych
Workshop of Rogier van der Weyden
ca. 1450–60

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.