Christ Crucified

This sculpture of the agonised Christ is one of the rarest specimens known amongst the intense production of ivory sculptures made in Portuguese India. It follows the model of the European sculptures sent to the colonies and later copied by local craftsmen. In all, it has great anatomical perfection. Noteworthy is the big size of the piece whose curved axis obeys to the shape of the elephant tusk from which it was made. Noteworthy is the detailed perfection of some anatomic features, such as the fine mouth, the teeth, the tongue, the eyebrows and the elongated nose, whose exoticism is particularly observed in the big and almond shaped eyes.