Calvary from Tragó de Noguera

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Location: 
Currently on long-term loan in the Museu de Lleida: diocesà i comarcal
Artists / Makers / Authorities: 
Anonymous
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Description:

A polychrome woodcarving of the Crucifixion, called a Calvary due to its being flanked by small carvings of Mary and Saint John. The Christ is of the suffering type (Christus Patiens), so he appears with his eyes closed, his arms noticeably inclined and he is half-naked, wearing only the perizoma (perizonium), or loincloth. He wears a crown with a cylindrical section. At the ends of the crossbeam the images of Mary, to Christ’s right, and Saint John the Evangelist, to his left, are attached. On the other hand, the figures of Adam coming back to life, that was once at the bottom of the shaft, and the one at the top, probably personifications of the Sun and the Moon, have not been conserved. The cross, covered with branches, reinforces its symbolism as the Tree of Life, while the ends are finished in the form of fleurs-de-lis.

The whole group conserves much of the polychrome, which makes it possible to read some of the inscriptions. On the back, in the centre, the Lamb of God (Agnus Dei) is painted, as the symbol of the sacrifice of Christ, a habitual image on almost all Crucifixes. The group was attached to a wooden structure around the altar, through the foot crowned by a capital and ending in a peg. To judge by its size, it must also have been used in processions.

Technically, the sculpture is schematic and effective, with a marked sense of detail. The presence of a similar cross in the church of Cap d’Aran may link this Calvary with works from the Val d’Aran or the Western Catalan Pyrenees.

 

Sculpture

Last quarter of 12th century – first quarter of 13th century

149 x 82 x 16.5 cm

Purchased 1912

Inventory number: 

015887-000

Probably from Tragó de Noguera (Os de Balaguer, Noguera).
Polychrome wood carving and applied carvings
Century: 13th
Century: 12th
Subject: Religion
Anònim - Calvari de Tragó de Noguera - Darrer quart del segle XII – primer quart del segle XIII
Calvari de Tragó de Noguera
Anònim - Calvari de Tragó de Noguera - Darrer quart del segle XII – primer quart del segle XIII [1]
Calvari de Tragó de Noguera [1]
Anònim - Calvari de Tragó de Noguera - Darrer quart del segle XII – primer quart del segle XIII [2]
Calvari de Tragó de Noguera [2]
Anònim - Calvari de Tragó de Noguera - Darrer quart del segle XII – primer quart del segle XIII [3]
Calvari de Tragó de Noguera [3]