Flemish school; first half of the 16th century.

Flemish school; first half of the XVI century.
"Calvary".
Oil on oak panel.
It has restorations and presents brushed and cradled board.
Measurements: 27 x 22 cm.
This painting made in oil on oak board and attributed to the Flemish School of the first half of the XVI century, represents one of the most intense scenes and loaded with theological meaning of Christian art: the crucifixion of Christ on Golgotha. The composition is articulated around the central figure of the Crucified, arranged vertically, with his arms stretched out on the cross and his head turned to the right side in a gesture of serene pain. The body of Christ, treated with anatomical precision and restrained naturalism, stands out for its pale pallor that contrasts with the dark and warm tones of the background, intensifying the tragic dimension of the scene. Above the cross appears the cartouche with the acronym "INRI", Latin acronym for Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum, framing the motif within its biblical context.
On both sides of the wood are two of the essential characters in this iconography: the Virgin Mary, her face darkened by grief, dressed in a dark tunic and white headdress that reinforce her character as the Sorrowful Mother, and Saint John the Evangelist, dressed in a bright red that visually distinguishes him and underlines his role as a faithful witness of the Passion. The frontal and contained disposition of both characters, with restrained gestures of recollection and affliction, reinforces the devotional dimension of the work, undoubtedly conceived to arouse the pious meditation of the spectator. At the foot of the cross, the skull and crossbones allude to Mount Calvary, traditionally considered the place where Adam was buried, establishing a theological relationship between the original fall and the redemption brought about by Christ.
The background of the painting reveals a meticulously constructed urban landscape, typical of the refined Flemish taste for architectural details and spatial depth. Through an elevated perspective, towers, walls, winding roads and tiny figures introduce secondary narrative episodes, probably alluding to other moments of the Passion. This spatial and narrative complexity is characteristic of Flemish Renaissance art, which, while retaining medieval elements in the hierarchical arrangement of the figures, demonstrates a growing attention to the illusion of depth and simultaneous visual storytelling. The oil technique, applied on oak board, allows a careful modeling of the surfaces, with glazes that give transparency to the clothes and lights that outline the volumes with sober realism.
The work, probably conceived for a private devotional space, reflects not only the Flemish School's interest in the emotional representation of Christ's suffering, but also its mastery in the meticulous and symbolically rich execution. It is a painting in which religious pathos, humanist sensibility and a taste for the observation of detail converge, making it an eloquent example of Flemish sacred art of the early Renaissance.