Martini, Simone (c.1284-1344)
Gesù che porta la croce (The Carrying of the Cross)
2nd quarter of the 14th century
Tempera on gold background on poplar, 300 x 205 cm
Musée du Louvre, Paris
Modern gold background. On the reverse, trompe l’oeil marble decoration with the coat of arms of the Orsini family inscribed in a diamond. Part of a small double-sided quadriptych executed for a prelate of the Orsini family to which belonged The Crucifixion, The Descent from the Cross, The Angel and The Virgin of the Annunciation (Antwerp, Royal Museums of Fine Arts) and The Mise au tomb (Berlin, Gemäldegalerie). Viollet reported in 1791 the existence of the inscription hoc opus at the bottom of the frame. (Louvre)