Antonello da Messina
Crucifixion
1475
Painted around 1475 by Antonello da Messina (c. 1430–1479), the Sicilian pioneer who introduced Flemish oil technique to Italian painting, this small panel of 'The Crucifixion' sets Christ's central cross between the T-shaped gibbets of the two thieves, with the fainting Virgin and the mourning John at the foot and a delicately observed Ionian coast stretching into the distance. Every layer of pigment is thin and transparent, catching an almost Van Eyck-like Flemish light inside an Italian composition. Held today by the Brukenthal National Museum in Sibiu, Romania, it is one of Europe's finest small Antonellos.
Exhibition Venue
Image source: Wikimedia Commons