Italy, Naples / 1606–7
The Crucifixion of Saint Andrew
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs The Crucifixion of Saint Andrew as painting (Italy, Naples · 1606–7).
Although Saint Andrew is typically associated with an X-shaped cross, here he is depicted on a standard vertical cross.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as oil on canvas and credits Caravaggio (Italian, 1571–1610).
The museum's collection notes: Saint Andrew’s efforts to introduce Christianity to Greece in the first century CE were met with hostility from local authorities. He was sentenced to die on the cross because he refused to acknowledge pagan gods. For two days, Andrew preached from his martyr’s station to an increasingly sympathetic crowd. Bowing to public demand, Andrew’s would-be executioners attempted to untie him, but their hands were mysteriously paralyzed. Andrew’s desire for martyrdom was thus fulfilled and he died enveloped in divine light. Caravaggio’s innovative interpretation involves the viewer more closely in the event by presenting the crucifixion as intimate an
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The Cleveland Museum of ArtThe Crucifixion of Saint AndrewOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.