# The Crucifixion

**Francisco de Zurbarán** (Spanish, 1598–1664)  
1627  
Oil on canvas  
290.3 × 165.5 cm (114 5/16 × 65 3/16 in.); Framed: 339.1 × 212.1 × 14 cm (133 3/8 × 83 1/2 × 5 1/2 in.)

Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago, 1954.15. [The museum's record](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/80084).

## About this work

Christ hangs on a rough wooden cross against a deep black background, his body brilliantly lit and modelled so firmly that it seems carved rather than painted, the white loincloth falling in crisp, sculptural folds. Zurbarán painted it in 1627 for the Dominican monastery of San Pablo el Real in Seville, where it hung in a dim chapel; the early biographer Antonio Palomino reported that visitors took it for a sculpture. Christ’s feet are nailed separately, following the guidance of Spanish religious writers of the time, and a small painted paper at the foot of the cross carries the artist’s signature.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

Francisco de Zurbarán painted this in 1627, aged 29. It is now at the Art Institute of Chicago.

### What you’re looking at

A work made of oil on canvas.

_Description from the Art Institute of Chicago._

### How it was made

- **Oil paint.** Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.

### [Francisco de Zurbarán](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/francisco-de-zurbaran)

Spanish, 1598–1664; born in Fuente de Cantos; died in Madrid

Zurbarán worked chiefly in Seville, where religious orders commissioned him to paint cycles for their monasteries. His saints and monks, set against dark grounds and modelled with strong, sculptural light, combine austerity with close attention to the textures of cloth and wood. He also painted a handful of austere still lifes. As taste in Seville shifted towards Murillo’s softer style, he moved to Madrid in 1658, where he died.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

## Facts

- Type: Painting
- Culture: Spain
- The artist was 29
- Real size: about 114 × 65 in (290 × 165 cm). The original is larger than our largest print, 30 × 40 in, so every print is a reduction.
- Century: 17th century
- Subjects: crucifixions, man, biblical, Christianity, Christian subjects, religious, religion, Jesus
- Colour: black
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/209.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/209/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68; 20 × 30 in $86; 24 × 36 in $108; 30 × 40 in $148
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164; 20 × 30 in $208; 24 × 36 in $258; 30 × 40 in $338
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118; 20 × 30 in $148; 24 × 36 in $178; 30 × 40 in $228
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3; 20 × 30 in $5; 24 × 36 in $5; 30 × 40 in $5

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/the-crucifixion-aic-80084).