4x5 transparency scanned on Hasselblad Flextight X1 by Ed Pollard-2013.

Procession to Calvary

Artist Bernardo Cavallino (Italian, 1616-1656)

CultureItalian

Dateca. 1645

MediumOil on canvas

Dimensions40 x 52 in. (101.6 x 132.1 cm)
Overall, Frame: 50 1/2 x 62 x 3 in. (128.3 x 157.5 x 7.6 cm)

Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.

Object number71.522

Collections

European Art before 1945

On View

Chrysler Museum of Art, 310, ROW 88

DescriptionThis is an oil on canvas painting. The background is barren rock wall with a small "v" of blue sky peeking through. Mid-ground is filled with people, soldiers, bystanders, and friends of Christ. The cross is in the center of the canvas, with Christ nearly central. The cross blends into the background because it is the same color as the barren rock. Christ is in a white robe as he falls on his knees under the weight of the cross. His right hand is stretched out as if to balance himself as he stumbles. A man and woman lean toward him from the left side of the canvas; they both wear a red garment and are presumably St. John and his mother, Mary. There is a man to the right of the center pulling a rope; it is unclear where the other end of the rope is--either around the cross or around Christ's neck. The foreground is nothing but empty ground pushing the viewers' eye to the dramatic moment in the middle.

Label TextBernardo Cavallino Italian, 1616–1656 Procession to Calvary, ca. 1645 Oil on canvas Stumbling under the weight of the cross, Christ turns to his mother for solace as his tormentors force him toward his crucifixion. The chaotic scene includes a contemporary time traveler: the artist himself gazes at us from the angry mob, standing as a witness to the unfolding tragedy. In an era noted for dramatic proclamations of faith, embedded self-portraits like this one abound, allowing artists to comment on historic events while affirming their own faith. Such images also mark a shift in the status of artists. No longer viewed as mere artisans whose names often went unrecorded, artists were now viewed as exalted creators who could proudly lay claim to their work. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.522 ProvenanceA.H. Kleiweg de Zwan, Amsterdam, Holland; New House Galleries, New York City, 1957; Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.; Chrysler Museum at Provincetown; Chrysler Museum at Norfolk, 1971. Exhibition History"Chrysler Art Museum of Provincetown Inaugural Exhibition," Provincetown, Massachusetts,1958. "Baroque Painters of Naples," John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, Florida, March 4 --April 4, 1961. "Italian Renaissance and Baroque Paintings from the Collection of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.," Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences, Dec. 2, 1967-- May 15, 1968. "1550-1650, A Century of Masters from the Collection of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.," Fort Worth Art Center, Philbrook Art Center, Tulsa, and University of Texas, Austin, Sept. 7, 1962 - March 31, 1963. "Treasures from the Chrysler Museum at Norfolk and Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.," Tennessee Fine Arts Center at Cheekwood, Nashville, June 12 - Sept. 5, 1977. "Bernardo Cavallino of Naples, 1616-1656," The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, Nov. 14 - Dec. 30, 1984; Kimball Art Museum, Fort Worth, TX, Jan. 26 - March 24, 1985; Museo Pignatelli Cortes, Naples, Italy, April 24 - June 26, 1985. Published ReferencesBertina S. Manning. _Chrysler Art Museum of Provincetown Inaugural Exhibition_. Provincetown, Massachusetts: Chrysler Art Museum of Provincetown. 07/1958. Plate 9; p. 8, 49. Exhibition catalog. _1550-1650, A Century of Masters from the Collection of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr._. Fort Worth: Fort Worth Art Center. 1962. p. 37. Robert L. Manning. _Italian Renaissance and Baroque Paintings from the Collection of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr._. Norfolk: Norfolk Museum of Arts and Science. 1967. No. 41. Eric M. Zafran and Mario Amaya. _Treasures from the Chrysler Museum at Norfolk and Walter P. Chrysler, Jr._. Tennessee Fine Arts Center at Cheekwood, Nashville. 1977. No. 15. Eric Zafran. "From the Renaissance to the Grand Tour," _Apollo_. Volume 107, no. 194. 04/1978:pp. 4-15, ill. Chrysler Museum. _Selections from the Permanent Collection: The Chrysler Museum_. Norfolk, VA: Chrysler Museum of Art. 1982. p. 31. Robert Enggass. "Ann Percy, Ann T. Lurie, et al., 'Bernardo Cavallino of Naples, 1616-1656,'" _The Art Bulletin_. Volume 68, no. 1. 03/1968: p. 168. _Bernado Cavallino of Naples, 1616-1656_, exhibition catalog, Cleveland Museum of Art; Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth; and Museo Pignatelli Cortes, Naples, 1984-85, no. 41. Jefferson C. Harrison, _The Chrysler Museum Handbook of the European and American Collections: Selected Paintings, Sculpture and Drawings_. Norfolk: The Chrysler Museum, 1991, 34, cat. no. 26.