Cross and crucifix
For a long time, Christians were hesitant to depict the shameful execution of their god. Since Emperor Constantine, the figureless cross had been used as a sign of victory; in the collection of the Museum Schnütgen, traces of this can still be seen in the luminous rock crystal crosses. Renderings of the crucifixion only date back to the 5th century. The oldest surviving crucifixes originated in the 10th century; one such example is the Gero Cross in Cologne Cathedral. Two striking early works, the Neuerburg Crucifix and the Torso from St. George, are on exhibit at the Museum Schnütgen. Contemporary artists faced the challenge of portraying two disparate aspects in one and the same figure: Christ who died as a mortal but, as God, had the power to overcome death. Over the course of the centuries, greater emphasis was either placed on the aspect of suffering and death or on the power and vitality of the figure. From the Early Middle Ages to the Baroque period, however, the figure on the cross usually united both of these contradictory aspects.
Crucified Christ from St. Georg in Cologne, Cologne, last third of 11th cent., willow, 189.5 x 52 cm, inv. no. A 9, © Rheinisches Bildarchiv
So-called Neuerburg Crucifix, Trier (?), beginning of 11th cent., willowcross later reconstructed in softwood), 134 x 111 cm (corpus), Inv. No. A 977, © Rheinisches Bildarchiv
Crucifix of a Processional Cross, Rainer von Huy (?), Liège, c. 1110/1120, bronze (yellow brass), 16 x 17 cm, Inv. No. H 70, © Rheinisches Bildarchiv
Crucifix, Westphalia, 2nd quarter of 13th cent., corpus: pear, 68 x 59 cm, cross: oak, 103 x 77.5 cm, Inv. No. A 6, © Rheinisches Bildarchiv
Crucifixus dolorosus, Cologne, c. 1370, walnut, 162 x 99 x 28 cm, Inv. No. A 362, © Rheinisches Bildarchiv
The Great Calvary, Southern Netherlands, c. 1430-1440, oak, 119 x 100 x 24 cm, Inv. No. A 998, © Rheinisches Bildarchiv
