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Notes

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Christ turns to look at us as he carries the Cross on which he will be crucified. This type of painting, in which the viewer is put in the position of the holy women on whom Christ looked on the route to Calvary, was especially popular in North Italy in the sixteenth century. Christ’s eyes appeal to us in his pain to stir our emotions and arouse our compassion.

Giampietrino’s composition is based on a silver-point study of the same subject by Leonardo, which was also used by a range of artists working in Lombardy at the time.

The National Gallery’s panel is one of several more or less identical versions of the same picture by Giampietrino, which suggests that he kept reusing the same cartoon (full-scale drawing). Charcoal was rubbed through holes in the pricked cartoon to trace the outlines on the panel for painting.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

Christ carrying his Cross

Date

probably about 1510-30

Medium

Oil on poplar

Measurements

H 59.7 x W 47 cm

Accession number

NG3097

Acquisition method

Layard Bequest, 1916

Work type

Painting

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

This venue is open to the public. Not all artworks are on display. If you want to see a particular artwork, please contact the venue.

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Artist or maker

Giampietrino

active 1500–1550

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Head of a Woman The Fitzwilliam Museum
Salome The National Gallery, London
Christ carrying his Cross The National Gallery, London
The Last Supper Royal Academy of Arts
The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine National Trust, Mount Stewart
Virgin and Child with Saint Jerome The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)
Virgin and Child with a Lily The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)