Christ

Just as the Romanesque iconography of Christ crucified stresses his majestic character, the Gothic iconography emphasises Christ's humanity, focusing on his suffering on the cross. This image shows some of the elements that are typical of the Gothic iconography of the Crucifix. We note, in the first place, that he is nailed with three nails (and not with four, as we have seen in the depictions of Christ in Majesty). We also observe the nakedness of Christ's body and the zigzagging composition of the figure. However, this image conserves some of the elements of Romanesque tradition, so that his eyes are wide open and he is wearing a crown that identifies him as king, evoking what Jesus says to Pilate when asked if he is the king of the Jews: “You yourself say so: I am king…” and “my kingdom is not of this world” (Gospel according to Saint John, 18: 36-37).