The Crucifixion is an egg tempera painting created by

Ioannis Moskos Ioannis Moskos ( el, Ιωάννης Μόσκος; 1635-44 – 1721) was a Greek painter that migrated to Venice. Two other very famous painters with the name Moskos were active around the same period Elias Moskos and Leos Moskos. Leos Moskos ...

. Moskos was a Greek painter originally from Crete. He migrated to Venice. Two other painters named Moskos were active during the same period. Their names were

Elias Moskos Ilias or Elias Moskos ( el, Ηλίας Μόσκος, 1620/1629- January 26, 1687) was a Greek educator, shipping merchant and painter from Crete. The last name Moskos was associated with three famous painters of the Cretan School alive during the ...

and

Leos Moskos Leo or Leos Moskos ( el, Λέος Μόσκος, 1620/30 – 1690) was a painter and educator. There were two other painters named Moskos active around the same period, Elias Moskos and Ioannis Moskos, who may have been his relatives. Indeed, L ...

. Leos and Ioannis were both in Venice during the same period.

Ioannis Ioannis or Ioannes ( el, Ιωάννης), shortened to Giannis or Yannis (Γιάννης) is a Greek given name cognate with Johannes and John and the Arabic name Yahya . Notable people with the name include: * Ioannis I, Tzimiskis, Byzantine Emper ...

was a member of the Late

Cretan School Cretan School describes an important school of icon painting, under the umbrella of post-Byzantine art, which flourished while Crete was under Venetian rule during the late Middle Ages, reaching its climax after the Fall of Constantinople, becom ...

. He was active from 1650 to 1721. Forty-four of his paintings survived. The crucifixion is one of the most popular subjects among painters. The most famous crucifixion painting of the

was completed by

Andreas Pavias Andreas Pavias ( el, Ανδρέας Παβίας 1440-1504/1512) was a Greek painter and educator. He was one of the founding fathers of the Cretan School, and his works influenced countless artists both Italian and Greek; paintings by Pavias coul ...

. Countless Greek and Italian painters were inspired by his work. Other notable crucifixions were completed by

Konstantinos Paleokapas Konstantinos Paleokapas ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Παλαιοκαπάς, 1600 – after 1640) was a Greek painter active during the 17th century. He was active in Crete. His contemporaries were: Elias Moskos, Leos Moskos, Victor (iconogr ...

and

Georgios Markazinis Georgios Markazinis ( el, Γεώργιος Μαρκαζίνης, ), also known as Georgius Margazinis or Margazinius, was a Greek painter from the island of Crete. His style is different from his contemporaries. He can be likened to Ioannis Perm ...

. The crucifixion paintings each offer a unique array of hidden symbols and meanings. The most common are the dice players and the resurrection of the Christian saints. In the dice player scene, soldiers gamble to see who wins the clothes of Jesus, the story is part of

Matthew 27 Matthew 27 is the 27th chapter in the Gospel of Matthew, part of the New Testament in the Christian Bible. This chapter contains Matthew's record of the day of the trial, crucifixion and burial of Jesus. Scottish theologian William Robertson Nic ...

:35–37. The crucifixion by Moskos is part of the collection of the Hellenic Institute of Venice.

Description

The painting is egg tempera and gold leaf on a wood panel. The height is 91 cm (35.8 in) and the width is 70 cm (27.5 in). The work was completed in 1711. The first record of the icon was in 1742. The painting was mentioned in later catalogs namely 1904 and 1949. It was characterized as the work of

, the 1949 catalog also authenticated his signature. The painting was associated with the Greek brotherhood of Venice and

San Giorgio dei Greci San Giorgio dei Greci ( el, Ἅγιος Γεώργιος τῶν Ἑλλήνων, ´Agios Geórgios ton Ellínon, Saint George of the Greeks) is a church in the ''sestiere'' (neighborhood) of Castello, Venice, northern Italy. It was the center of ...

. Most of the gold background is painted with dark clouds. Jerusalem is in the background under the dark clouds. Both the sky and the city are painted with a grey variant. The painter masterfully blends the colors. The cross is painted in the foreground. Jesus, the

Impenitent thief The impenitent thief is a man described in the New Testament account of the Crucifixion of Jesus. In the Gospel narrative, two criminal bandits are crucified alongside Jesus. In the first two Gospels (Matthew and Mark), they both join the crowd ...

and the

Penitent thief The Penitent Thief, also known as the Good Thief, Wise Thief, Grateful Thief, or Thief on the Cross, is one of two unnamed thieves in Luke's account of the crucifixion of Jesus in the New Testament. The Gospel of Luke describes him asking Jesus ...

create a spatial relationship. The three figures form a geometric triangle. The

to our right is greeted by a demonic figure while the

on the left is crowned by an angel. The

also features a small inscription in Greek. The inscription says: Remember me in your kingdom. A similar inscription was present in

's Crucifixion. A small crowd is gathered to witness the event. There is a huge crowd of soldiers and members of the

Sanhedrin The Sanhedrin (Hebrew and Aramaic: סַנְהֶדְרִין; Greek: , ''synedrion'', 'sitting together,' hence 'assembly' or 'council') was an assembly of either 23 or 71 elders (known as "rabbis" after the destruction of the Second Temple), ap ...

. The

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cru ...

, and

John the Evangelist John the Evangelist ( grc-gre, Ἰωάννης, Iōánnēs; Aramaic: ܝܘܚܢܢ; Ge'ez: ዮሐንስ; ar, يوحنا الإنجيلي, la, Ioannes, he, יוחנן cop, ⲓⲱⲁⲛⲛⲏⲥ or ⲓⲱ̅ⲁ) is the name traditionally given t ...

are at the foot of the cross. Several other noble figures are also present. A soldier pierces the side of Jesus with the

Spear of Destiny A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastene ...

, as he hangs on the cross. Another important symbolic scene occurs to the right in the foreground. Three soldiers gamble over Jesus's robe. They are playing dice for the holy garment. The story follows

:35–37.

Gallery

File:Crucifixion by G.Margkazinis (17th c.).jpg, Crucifixion ( Markazinis) File:The Crucifixion-Andreas Pavias.jpg, Crucifixion Pavias

References

{{Late Cretan Renaissance 18th-century paintings Paintings in Venice Cretan Renaissance paintings