{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1723225"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1723225/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2023NN7494/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2023NN7494/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2023NN7494","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2023NN7722","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2023NN7721","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2023NN7716","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2023NN7717","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2023NN7718","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2023NN7719","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2023NN7720","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2023NN7723","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2023NN7724","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2023NN7725","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2023NN7726","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O1723225/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1723225","accessionNumber":"A.3-2023","objectType":"Crucifix","titles":[{"title":"Crucified Christ","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"This rare ivory crucifix was carved in Genoa during the first half of the 17th century, probably by sculptor Giovanni Battista Bissoni (Genoa, 1600/20-1657). Given the considerable size, the preciousness of the material, the quality of the carving and the delicacy of the decor on the cross, this crucifix must have been a major commission. It was likely made for private devotion and placed in the chapel of a Genoese palace. However, the original context of the commission remains unknown.\r\n\r\nThe anguishing, still living, Christ directing his gaze towards God was carved one large section of tusk, except from the perizonium and the arms that were made separately and attached to the body. The body of the Christ, carved with great virtuosity, follows the natural curvature of the elephant tusk. The anatomy is carefully studied, the torso showing the ribcage and the contracted abdomen while the legs are bent by the weight of the body. Great naturalism is shown in the treatment of the arms characterised by a network of veins and tendons, and the flesh on the feet and the hands being pushed away by the nails, in a series of folds. The head of Christ is also depicted with great sensitivity, with two tears running on his cheeks, his mouth open in a last breath revealing the upper teeth. The beard and the hair are depicted with dynamist, waves of curls falling over his shoulders. The Christ is crucified to the cross by four silver nails, his head crowned by a sunburst with multiple lanceolate rays. The cross sits on a large pink marble base. \r\n\r\nThe crucifix has been attributed to Giovanni Battista Bissoni (Genoa, 1600/20-1657), one of the most important sculptors active in Genoa during the first half of the 17th century (Dr Riccardo Gennaioli). The V&A Christ offers close stylistic comparisons with three other crucifixes attributed to Bissoni, one in the church of San Pietro Apostolo in Giglio Castello on the Isola del Giglio (see Eike Schmidt in <i>Diafane Passioni: Avori barocchi dalle corti europee</i>, exh. cat. Palazzo Pitti, Museo degli Argenti, Florence 2013, cat. 53), one in the collection of the Prince of Liechtenstein (SK 944) and one in the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto (AGOID.107450). The attributions of the other ivory crucifixes are based on comparisons with documented wooden Christs by Giovanni Battista Bissoni (in particular his Dying Christ in the Church of San Bartolomeo degli Armeni) and on early sources testifying on his activity as ivory sculptor. Bissoni’s first biographer, Raffaele Soprani wrote about Bissoni that “Many are the devotional images of crucifixes made by his hands, some in wood, some in ivory, for churches and oratories in this city: crucifixes of an height of four or five palms [equivalent to c. 99-124cm]” (“Molte sono le divote immagini di crocifissi di sua mano formate, parte in legno, e parte in avorio, per chiese e oratori di questa città: crocifissi d’altezza di quattro o cinque palmi”).\r\n\r\nGiovanni Battista Bissoni first trained with his father, Domenico Bissoni (ante 1574-1637) who was a sculptor born in Bissone (Tessin) and active in Genoa. Giovanni Battista started his activity around the early 1630s and was celebrated by his biographer for the variety of his production, in small and large scale, in wood and in ivory. He renewed the typology of the Crucified Christ, based on models by the German ivory carver Georg Petel and the renown Flemish painter Anton Van Dyck, both active in Genoa in the 1620s (see L. Leoncini and D. Sanguineti (eds), <i>Van Dyck e il Cristo spirante</i> exh. cat. Genoa, Palazzo Reale, 2012).\r\n","physicalDescription":"The ivory Christ, his head tilted to the right, depicted with wavy curls falling over the shoulders and curled beard divided in the middle, is crucified by four silver nails to an ebonised pear wood cross which has kept its silver terminals. An ivory sunburst with multiple lanceolates is fastened to the intersection of the cross with a six-pointed silver star. At the top the inscription INRI is inscribed on a separate ivory plaque. The cross sits in a quadrangular pink marble base.  \n","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Bissoni, Giovanni Battista","id":"AUTH394321"},"association":{"text":"attributed to","id":"THES286691"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"Ivory","id":"THES280653"},{"text":"wood","id":"AAT11914"},{"text":"silver","id":"AAT11029"},{"text":"","id":""},{"text":"wood","id":"AAT11914"},{"text":"silver","id":"AAT11029"}],"techniques":[{"text":"carved","id":"AAT53149"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Figure carved in ivory, cross made in ebonised pear wood, several decorative elements cast in silver. ","categories":[{"text":"Christianity","id":"THES48978"},{"text":"Sculpture","id":"THES48896"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"SCP","id":"THES48600"},"images":["2023NN7494","2023NN7722","2023NN7721","2023NN7716","2023NN7717","2023NN7718","2023NN7719","2023NN7720","2023NN7723","2023NN7724","2023NN7725","2023NN7726"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"7","id":"THES263054"},"free":"","case":"CA6","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"FLR","id":"THES395921"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Crucifix","id":"AAT248835"}],[{"text":"base","id":"AAT1656"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Genoa","id":"x30233"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"c.1630-1650","earliest":"1625-01-01","latest":"1650-12-31"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Given by Mr Nicholas and Mrs Angela Mullany","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"158","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"with base","note":""},{"dimension":"Weight","value":"49","unit":"kg","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"15/11/2022","earliest":"2022-11-15","latest":"2022-11-15"},"part":"marble base","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"78","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"of the cross","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"72.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"of the figure","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"49.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"of the figure","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"The crucifix belonged to Elena Petrović (1873-1952), 6th daughter of Nicholas I of Montenegro (1841 – 1921), who was married to Victor Emmanuel III of Italy (1869-1947), both crowned King and Queen\r\nof Italy in 1900. During the 1920s the Crucifix was gifted by the Queen to the Countess Wilhelmina Boncompagni Ludovisi (1881-1973), courtier and wife of Count Pompeo Campello della Spina (1874-1927). It was then sold to an Italian collector and by descent to his son, then purchased by Mr Nicholas and Angela Mullany who gave it to the V&A in 2023. ","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Crucified Christ, ivory, on ebonised pearwood cross, with base in Sicialian Jasper, attributed to Giovanni Battista Bissoni, Genoa, c. 1630-1650.","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[{"text":"Jesus Christ","id":"N1515"}],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"The Crucified Christ\r\n1625–50\r\nGenoa (Italy)\r\nProbably by\r\nGiovanni Battista Bissoni\r\nIvory, ebonised pearwood, silver\r\nGiven by Mr Nicholas and Mrs Angela Mullany\r\nMuseum no. A.3-2023\n\nIn his final moments, Christ directs his gaze towards God and opens his mouth to take a last breath. The sculptor showed the weight of the dying body with great naturalism, the legs bent and the skin pushed away on Christ’s pierced hands. Made for private devotion, this Christ likely adorned a chapel in a palace in Genoa.","date":{"text":"2024","earliest":"2024-01-01","latest":"2024-12-31"}}],"partNumbers":["A.3:1-2023","A.3:2-2023"],"accessionNumberNum":"3","accessionNumberPrefix":"A","accessionYear":2023,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-09-22","recordCreationDate":"2022-07-01","availableToBook":false}}