Italian school; end of the XVII century- beginning of the XVIII century.

Italian school; end of the XVII century- beginning of the XVIII century.
"Expiring Christ".
Silver.
Presents illegible punch.
Measurements: 51 x 30,5 x 7 cm.
The polished finish of the material, the symmetry and the modeling of the forms show a balanced and idealized anatomy that forms an image that, in spite of the dramatism contained in the theme of the crucifixion, transmits an immutable beauty. However, despite this ideal, the work presents the emotion of the moment of Christ's death in an exacerbated and exalted way. In the face of Jesus we see his open eyes and mouth in a gesture that seems to capture the last breath of the protagonist. The twisting of his belly shows us a classic anatomy in its forms, but stark and in tension; nailed with three nails; the head slightly tilted to his right side; the large purity cloth, with abundant broken folds, is knotted on his right hip dropping one of its ends. The canon is slightly elongated with the intention of reflecting the Calvary of the cross, for this reason the arms can be appreciated in their maximum tension and the torso clearly marks the ribs. It should be noted that in this case it is not anchored to the cross that must have existed in origin.
Crucifixions and crucifixes have appeared in the history of art and popular culture since before the era of the pagan Roman Empire. The crucifixion of Jesus has been depicted in religious art since the 4th century. It is one of the most recurrent themes in Christian art and the one with the most obvious iconography. Although Christ is sometimes depicted clothed, it is usual to represent his naked body, albeit with the genitals covered with a purity cloth (perizonium); full nudes are very rare, but prominent (Brunelleschi, Michelangelo, Cellini). The conventions of representation of the different attitudes of the crucified Christ are designated by the Latin expressions Christus triumphans ("triumphant" -not to be confused with the Maiestas Domini or the Pantocrator-), Christus patiens ("resigned" -not to be confused with the Christ of patience-) and Christus dolens ("suffering" -not to be confused with the Vir dolorum-). The triumphans is represented alive, with open eyes and erect body; the patiens is represented dead, with the will totally emptied (kenosis), the head bowed, the face with serene expression, the eyes closed and the body arched, showing the five wounds; the dolens is represented in a similar way to the patiens, but with a gesture of pain, particularly in the mouth.