FRA ANGELICO'S CRUCIFIXION – AN ITALIAN RENAISSANCE MASTERPIECE ON DISPLAY IN THE MUSEUM

The Crucifixion is one of the earliest surviving panel paintings by Fra Angelico and perhaps the earliest version of the subject he was to return to again and again throughout his life and career.

Painted in the 1420s, 'The Crucifixion with the Virgin, Saint John the Evangelist and the Magdalen' exemplifies the power, beauty and sensitivity for which Fra Angelico would become known, and offers key insights into his painterly style and the development of European painting more broadly. 

This important new acquisition spent 200 years in a British private collection and was only recognised as a work by the great Florentine artist in 1996.

The Crucifixion with the Virgin, Saint John the Evangelist and the Magdalen, Fra Angelico, early 1420s, tempera on gold ground panel © 2023 Christie’s Images Limited

Fra Angelico allegedly never painted a Crucifixion without tears streaming down his face. This early work, probably made for private devotion, evocatively conveys the emotional responses of each mourning figure. The Virgin Mary gazes outwards with watery eyes, drawing our attention to the body of her dead son. Miraculously, the wood at the top of the cross transforms into a verdant tree where a pelican feeds her young with her own blood – a symbol of Christ’s self-sacrifice. The flourishing tree suggests hope and new life after death.

Fra Angelico at the Ashmolean

The Ashmolean houses an extensive Italian Renaissance collection that includes important pieces by Raphael, Michelangelo and Uccello, as well as a rare, later work by Fra Angelico and his studio: a triptych of the Virgin and Child.

There are very few major paintings by Fra Angelico in public collections in the UK, and no complete works by the artist – the National Gallery and the Courtauld Gallery only hold fragments of larger altarpieces in their collections.

The Virgin and Child with Angels and a Dominican Saint, Fra Angelico, 1450–1455. Ashmolean Museum

Now that the acquisition of The Crucifixion has been successful, it makes the Ashmolean the only museum in the country where visitors will be able to witness Fra Angelico’s development over the course of his career. The Crucifixion will complement and significantly enhance the Museum’s important collection of Early Italian religious works.

More information about this remarkable acquisition can be found in our press release here.