Tríptico da Paixão de Cristo 1530

Cristovao de Figueiredo made this Passion of Christ triptych sometime in the first half of the 16th century, probably in Portugal. It is made with oil paint, an innovation that had spread across Europe at that time, and applied to wood panels. But look closely, and you’ll see that the paint handling here is very different than what you might find in Italy or the Netherlands. The modelling of the figures, for example, is quite stark, almost flattened. This is a testament to the enduring influence of earlier panel-painting traditions. Note too that the panels have a bold, gilt frame, which would have been made by specialist joiners and gilders. Here, the artist is acting as the director of a workshop. The labour is divided, but all of it is united to a single devotional purpose. It’s a good reminder that even the most moving images are always the result of collective human effort.