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Corpus with Moveable Arms (Kruzifixus mit schwenkbaren Armen)

1500–1510
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
Throughout the late medieval and Renaissance periods, carved figures of Christ with articulated limbs were found across Europe. These movable sculptures were activated as the central protagonists of reenactments of the Passion of Christ during Easter celebrations. They were detached from the cross, physically embraced, cleaned, caressed, kissed by worshippers, and then shrouded for "burial." Such works turned passive onlookers into active participants. This example was made for a church in the southern Swiss canton of Ticino, a Catholic area that stood firm in the face of rising Protestantism elsewhere in the region.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Corpus with Moveable Arms (Kruzifixus mit schwenkbaren Armen)
  • Date: 1500–1510
  • Culture: German
  • Medium: Painted poplar and willow
  • Dimensions: 57 7/8 × 17 11/16 × 11 in., 24.5 lb. (147 × 45 × 28 cm, 11.1 kg)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum, Zurich
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art