Face of Jesus Christ on the Cross with eyes shut, painted on a wooden halo disc in Byzantine style, probably in the 1200s AD. It survives on a precious medieval Crucifixion painted on a wooden panel hanging in the Chiesa di Sant’Agostino, the Church of the Augustinian Friars at Volterra, Tuscany, Italy. The church now houses the Museo Arte Sacra, the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art.


Volterra, Tuscany, Italy: despite some loss of medieval pigment, the face of Jesus Christ, painted in tempera on wood in Byzantine style, is still clearly visible on this fragmentary Crucifixion, created by an unknown artist on a shaped wooden background, probably in the 13th century. The face, bearded and with the eyes closed, survives on a wooden halo disc attached to the timber structure. The precious Crucifixion is on display in the rebuilt Chiesa di Sant’Agostino, the Church of the Augustinian friars, in Piazza XX Settembre. Although the building is still consecrated, since June 2017 it has housed the Museo Arte Sacra, the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art. The museum, previously housed in part of the bishop’s palace, brings together medieval and later Christian artworks from Volterra Cathedral, from other parish churches in the city and from parishes throughout the wider diocese.


Size: 2592px × 3872px
Location: Chiesa di Sant’Agostino, Piazza XX Settembre, Volterra, Tuscany, Italy.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

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