Italian Baroque Ivory of Christ Crucified Attended by the Virgin Mary and Saint John by Giovanni Antonio Gualterio

Period: 1600-1700

Origin: Italy

Medium: Wood, Ivory, silver, Glass, Brass

Literature: Gualterio’s muscular form of his Corpus Christi carvings have a similarity to the late drawings of Michelangelo (1475 - 1564). He made a speciality of ivory crucifixes, and the carving of Christ’s loincloth is typical of his work. Gualterio is known to have carried out commissions for Cardinal, later Grand Duke, Ferdinand de ‘Medici (1548 - 1608) who ordered a crucifix from him and then immediately sent it as a diplomatic gift to Spain. Two surviving crucifixes both have Spanish provenances, and perhaps because he partially polychromed his ivories, Gualterio’s work was favoured and in demand in Spain.