Crucifixion, Rocca Monte Varmine
Vittore Crivelli painted a Crucifixion on canvas for the church of San Pietro, located inside the medieval castle of Rocca Monte Varmine. It was only in 1980 that the painting was moved from the church to its current location, the Pinacoteca Civica in Fermo.
It is a large Crucifixion set in an arid environment, enclosed by the walls of the fortress and a dark sky. Vittore Crivelli had a great interest in the classical world, which can be seen in the inclusion of a decorative band below the battlements of the architecture, consisting of acanthus scrolls starting from the mouth of a male mask with donkey ears.
The scene is populated by several characters: the Virgin Mary, characterized by her usual blue cloak covering her long hair; Saint Mary Magdalene clinging to the Cross; Saint John the Evangelist with his hands clasped in prayer, depicted from behind; and finally, Saint Peter praying to Christ dead on the Cross.
The only inscription is the one on the white scroll above the Cross: INRI. The artist painted a red cloth of honor behind the Crucifix in order to highlight the dead body.
The first mention of the painting was made by Luigi Dania in 1967, who saw the canvas on the right wall of the church and commented that it was an autograph replica of the cymatium of the triptych of the Visitation of the Virgin of Sant'Elpidio a Mare, also painted by the Venetian artist.
Caterina Paparello found an inventory of the assets of the Spedale della Carità (Charity Hospital) drawn up by Felice Matteucci and Domenico Paccaroni in 1772, where the painting is described as being on the high altar of the church of San Pietro, inserted into a carved frame and surrounded by “a red pavilion painted on the wall.”
The work is painted on canvas, a medium that Vittore Crivelli also used for the Blessed Giacomo della Marca, preserved in the National Gallery of the Marche in Urbino, and the saints Michael the Archangel and Peter at the Musée du Petit Palais in Avignon.
The Crucifixion was probably commissioned as one side of a banner, as canvas is a light medium that is easy to carry during a procession. A banner can be painted on both sides or consist of two paintings joined together; therefore, another canvas with a different scene must have been attached to the back of Vittore Crivelli's Crucifixion.
Vittore Crivelli
Crocifissione, 1484 ca
Tempera su tela, 153×128 cm
Pinacoteca comunale – Palazzo dei Priori
Piazza del Popolo, 5
Fermo (FM)
Crucifixion, Rocca Monte Varmine
Vittore Crivelli painted a Crucifixion on canvas for the church of San Pietro, located inside the medieval castle of Rocca Monte Varmine. It was only in 1980 that the painting was moved from the church to its current location, the Pinacoteca Civica in Fermo.
It is a large Crucifixion set in an arid environment, enclosed by the walls of the fortress and a dark sky. Vittore Crivelli had a great interest in the classical world, which can be seen in the inclusion of a decorative band below the battlements of the architecture, consisting of acanthus scrolls starting from the mouth of a male mask with donkey ears.
The scene is populated by several characters: the Virgin Mary, characterized by her usual blue cloak covering her long hair; Saint Mary Magdalene clinging to the Cross; Saint John the Evangelist with his hands clasped in prayer, depicted from behind; and finally, Saint Peter praying to Christ dead on the Cross.
The only inscription is the one on the white scroll above the Cross: INRI. The artist painted a red cloth of honor behind the Crucifix in order to highlight the dead body.
The first mention of the painting was made by Luigi Dania in 1967, who saw the canvas on the right wall of the church and commented that it was an autograph replica of the cymatium of the triptych of the Visitation of the Virgin of Sant'Elpidio a Mare, also painted by the Venetian artist.
Caterina Paparello found an inventory of the assets of the Spedale della Carità (Charity Hospital) drawn up by Felice Matteucci and Domenico Paccaroni in 1772, where the painting is described as being on the high altar of the church of San Pietro, inserted into a carved frame and surrounded by “a red pavilion painted on the wall.”
The work is painted on canvas, a medium that Vittore Crivelli also used for the Blessed Giacomo della Marca, preserved in the National Gallery of the Marche in Urbino, and the saints Michael the Archangel and Peter at the Musée du Petit Palais in Avignon.
The Crucifixion was probably commissioned as one side of a banner, as canvas is a light medium that is easy to carry during a procession. A banner can be painted on both sides or consist of two paintings joined together; therefore, another canvas with a different scene must have been attached to the back of Vittore Crivelli's Crucifixion.
