Description
The small panel known as Christ Carrying the Cross shows Christ moving forward with the cross amid a compact crowd. In a very limited space Simone Martini condenses a dramatic episode of the Passion: the weight of the cross, the agitation of the soldiers, the sorrow of the Virgin, and the vehement gesture of a female figure raising her arms. The walled city in the background creates a recognizable setting while also intensifying the sense of pressure and confinement around the main figure.
The painting belongs to the Orsini Polyptych and is preserved in the Louvre Museum. It is painted in tempera on wood and measures about 30 by 20.5 centimeters. The gold background seen today is modern, while the reverse preserves a trompe-l’oeil marble decoration with the arms of the Orsini family. Its small format and its connection with panels now divided between Paris, Antwerp, and Berlin show that it once formed part of a portable altarpiece intended for private devotion.
