Name/Title
The CrucifixionEntry/Object ID
0738Description
"The Crucifixion"
Illustrates the Bible passage, "Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out." John 19:34.
A Roman soldier pierces Jesus' side with a spear. A centurion, on the left, points to the scene. A man with a club is on a ladder, strikes the legs of the crucified thief on the right side of the painting, to hasten his death. The elderly man standing at the foot of the cross is likely Joseph of Arimathea, who later arranges for Jesus' burial. At the bottom right, Mary lays grief stricken in the arms of two supporters.
This is one of six paintings Haidt made dealing with the death and resurrection of Christ, for the Saal in the Manor House in Nazareth. MHS has all six in the collection, "Christ in Gethsemane", "Christ Scourged", "Adoration of the Shepherds", "Lamentation over the Body of Christ", and "Thomas Doubting".
Description from 1982 exhibition by Charlene Engel:
[Haidt's] treatment of the Crucifixion contains certain unusual elements. For example, the helmeted soldier with what appears to be a small child at the lower left and the two nude figures, male and female, in the foreground. Since the female figure, arms folded across her breasts, eyes gazing upwards toward the cross, seems to issue directly out of the ground under the cross, it is tempting to suggest that this imagery, more typical of Last Judgement iconography than that of the Crucifixion, is intended to underscore the efficacy of Christ's sacrifice. The two figures might then stand for Adam and Eve. The moment Haidt chooses to show is that when the lance pierces Christ's side--the last drawing of His blood.
Excerpt from 1972 Berkeley University Art Museum catalog entry by Jane Dillenberger:
"As in his other paintings, strange differences in the scale of the figures make the spatial pattern arbitrary. The helmeted figure, left foreground, is immense in contrast to the woman with crossed arms who gazes upward. Despite these awkwardnesses and Haidt's unassimilated appropriations from European art, he succeeds in communicating his personal piety."Acquisition
Accession
738Source or Donor
Board of Trustees, Nazareth Moravian CongregationAcquisition Method
GiftMade/Created
Artist
John Valentine HaidtDate made
1754 - 1761Place
Borough
NazarethCounty
NorthamptonState/Province
PennsylvaniaCountry
United States of AmericaContinent
North AmericaConservation
Notes
Restoration by courtesy of Women's Fellowship - Central Moravian Church, Bethlehem, PAProvenance
Notes
Once hung in the small second floor Saal of the Manor HouseGeneral Notes
Note
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email curator@moravianhistory.org