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*Published sponsorship costs are subject to change due to conservation plan modifications and fluctuations in exchange rates.

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This highly refined panel painting depicts the lifeless body of Christ rising from the sarcophagus, set against a shimmering background of gilded gold leaf. At either end of the cross, the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Evangelist—rendered on a smaller scale—stand in silent mourning, gesturing toward Christ as if to draw the viewer’s gaze to his suffering. Commonly referred to as the Man of Sorrows, this iconography presents Christ suspended between life and death—or more precisely, between death and resurrection. Though upright, his body bears the visible marks of crucifixion: blood stains his hands around the nail wounds, and a dramatic stream of blood pours from the deep gash in his side. Such a graphic and emotionally charged depiction offered 14th-century viewers a powerful means of meditating on Christ’s passion and ultimate sacrifice. It invited contemplation not only of his physical suffering, but also of the redemptive promise that his death embodied.

The painting includes several inscriptions identifying the depicted figures, along with the traditional abbreviation “INRI” at the top of the cross—Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum (“Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews”). Intriguingly, it also bears the signature of its enigmatic author: “Angelus pinxit” (Angelus painted this).

The identity of the artist is still the subject of scholarly debate. In earlier studies, the work was attributed to Angelos Akotantos, a 15th-century painter active in Heraklion, on the island of Crete, where he is known to have maintained a workshop. However, this attribution has since been questioned. Most of Akotantos’s documented works are found in Cretan Orthodox monasteries and feature subjects rendered in a characteristically Byzantine style, which contrasts markedly with the aesthetic qualities of the present panel. Further evidence against the attribution lies in the Latin inscriptions—including the signature itself—and the painting’s distinctly maniera italiana style. This is particularly apparent in the use of a greenish underlayer beneath Christ’s flesh, a technique developed in Italy and famously employed by Cimabue, the revered forerunner of Giotto, to achieve a more lifelike, sculptural effect. Taken together, these elements have led scholars to tentatively attribute the painting to a 14th-century Venetian artist.

This panel painting was last restored in 1996. Composed of three poplar wood planks joined together, the panel now exhibits two vertical cracks running along the seams between the boards. The condition of the support is sufficiently concerning that conservators have applied long strips of Japanese paper to stabilize the vulnerable areas and prevent further deterioration. In addition, the painted surface suffers from extensive paint lifting and is obscured by large areas of discolored overpaint, likely the result of deteriorated retouching from the previous restoration campaign.

Unidentified Venetian Painter
Man of Sorrows with the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Evangelist
mid-14th century, tempera on panel
148 x 139,5 cm

Bettini, Sergio. La pittura di icone cretese-veneziana e i madonneri. Padua: CEDAM, 1933

Chatzidakis, Nano (ed.). From Candia to Venice: Greek Icons in Italy, 15th-16th centuries, exhibition catalogue (Museo Correr, 17 September-30 October 1993), Atene: Fondazione per la cultura greca, 1993

Mariacher, Giovanni (ed.). Il Museo Correr di Venezia: dipinti dal XIV al XVI secolo. Venice: Neri Pozza, 1957

Vassilaki, Maria. The Painter Angelos and Icon-Painting in Venetian Crete. New York: Routledge, 2009