Crucifixion; Italy, Sicily, Trapani; 17th century.

Crucifixion; Italy, Sicily, Trapani; XVII century.
Enameled silver, coral, brass and methacrylate base.
Presents restoration in the area of the legs, missing in the crown of thorns and loss of the titulus crucis.
Measurements: 43,5 x 23,5 cm; 70,5 x 32 cm (frame).
This devotional piece, made in Trapani during the 17th century, represents a Crucifixion of singular technical and expressive skill. The design of the cross is sober in structure but sumptuous in decoration. The support is made of gilded brass, finely engraved with plant motifs and symmetrical rosettes, to which translucent blue enamel is applied, giving the whole an intense chromatic depth. Bordering the entire perimeter of the stipes and the patibulum is a sequence of small circular applications of red coral, which accentuate the ornamental dimension of the work. The crucified Christ, carved entirely in coral, is presented with a delicate anatomical treatment, which combines the stylization of the figure with a contained pathos, typical of the Sicilian baroque language. The polished texture of the coral, a material traditionally associated with sacred art in Trapani, gives the body a luminosity. At the feet of the Crucified Christ there is also a coral skull, symbol of Golgotha and redemption through death.
The cross is finished at the ends with elaborate elements of dark blue enameled silver, openwork and vegetal inspiration, which allude to the Mediterranean Baroque decorative tradition. These sinuous ornamentations balance the verticality of the composition and emphasize its devotional function.
The city of Trapani was one of the main centers of production of luxury goods during the Baroque period. Heirs to the classical tradition and also influenced by the Arab world, they created multiple goods of extreme quality with particularly fine materials. They excelled in the work of alabaster and coral as in our case. The fragility of coral prevents the creation of works in a large format, so this material requires a fundamental skill to be carved. Almost like beads, the pieces of red coral are attached to the gilded bronze surface between which are interspersed other more ornate pieces such as plant motifs intertwined with Roman-inspired candelieri and the central figure that stands out above the whole being the theme of the same.