Murillo, Bartolomé Esteban (1617-1682)
Cristo en la cruz (Christ on the Cross)
1660–1670
Oil on canvas, 208.9 x 113 cm
Timken Museum of Art, San Diego
In this late painting by Bartolomé Estebán Murillo, the luminous figure of Christ appears against an ominous sky. Below him, at the left, the outlines of the city of Jerusalem are visible within the shadowy mists. According to Christian doctrine, Christ’s sacrifice on the cross brought about the possibility of man’s redemption from the original sin of Adam. The skull at the base of the cross suggests Golgotha, meaning “the place of the cross,” the area of Jerusalem where the crucifixion occurred. The inscription at the top of the cross reads, in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” (Timken)