Proto-Renaissance: Maestro della Croce

Maestro della Croce Wikipedia Commons

As a renewal or renovito began to sweep Italy in large part due to the actions of Frederick II, King of Sicily, the Great Schism took hold of the Catholic Church, causing an absence of the pope in Rome. This absence led to the formation of many new orders such as the Franciscans and the Dominicans.

Unlike previous orders approved by the Catholic Church who chose to live in seclusion and isolation, the Dominicans and Franciscans chose to be one with the people.  The churches that the orders built, such as Santa Maria Novella and Santa Croce, were in cities and towns. These magnificent buildings became a status symbol, showcasing the power and wealth of the city-states of Italy through the magnificent architecture, frescos, and other art within. Many of these pieces were products of monasteries and therefore created anonymously by monks who dedicated their lives to their art.

Close up of the Crucifix Wikipedia

This past Thursday, as I walked into the Uffizi’s duecento room filled with the works of great artists such as Giotto and Cimabue, I was drawn to a magnificent wooden crucifix not made by the masters, but by an unknown. The Maestro Della Croce n. 434 turned up in the Uffizi’s’ art collection in 1888, its whereabouts before then not known. Wooden crucifixes such as this were among the earliest paintings in the proto-Renaissance. The representations of Jesus varied, and can be classified into two categories Christus triumphus and Christus patiens. While Christus triumphus depicts Jesus as a victor over death, usually exhibited in his open eyes, devoid of any pain, Christus patiens representations show a more deflated body inspiring and emphatic response from the viewer. In this particular piece Christ has been portrayed in the style of Christus patiens. In the aprons at the sides of the cross, the passion has been displayed in eight, Byzantine-style scenes from the ruling of Pontius Pilate to the lamentation of Christ. Upon closer inspection I noticed that not only was the crucifix heavily gilded, but also jewels have been added thereby encrusting the halo. This piece is an obvious precursor to the Renaissance as it is an exceptional representation of the melding of many different art forms. One can see that the artist was trying to give more life-like qualities to his figures, unlike the flat, 2D figures of the medieval art world. The linear perspectives of the passion scenes are more realistic than those of the medieval ages yet not as developed as the high Renaissance, thereby illustrating the proto-renaissance’s role as a bridge between the two periods.