Crucifix of Pisa
Crucifix of Pisa is a wooden panel painting of the crucifixion, made around 1230. It is kept in the Museo nazionale di San Matteo in Pisa, Italy. The artist is unknown and is often called the Byzantine Master of the Crucifix of Pisa, a painter active in Pisa in the early 1200s.
The work is important because it shows a patient, suffering Christ on the cross, a style that was new at the time and soon replaced older, triumphant depictions of Christ. It includes the traditional elements known from Byzantine art. Christ’s head tilts to the left, his eyes are closed, and a small stream of blood comes from a wound.
The cross’s four arms bear smaller scenes from the Passion, as was customary. The body is rigid and lifeless, unlike later depictions by Giunta Pisano and Cimabue, where Christ appears to bend under his weight.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 12:50 (CET).