The crucifixion of Christ has been represented over the centuries by countless artists, who used different styles, materials and media to portray this principal symbol of Christianity.

Fine examples from the 15th to the 21st centuries are now on display at an exhibition being held on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Mdina Cathedral Museum.

An 18th-century Cristo Vivo crucifix made of ivory, originating from a central European school, on loan from St Mary of Jesus church, Valletta.

The Human Turned Divine features 30 crucifixes from Maltese, public and ecclesiastical collections. These include a number of works by 20th-century Maltese artists, such as Antonio Sciortino, George Borg, Giovanni Spiteri Sacco, Josef Kalleya, Victor Diacono, Anton Agius, Austin Camilleri, Andrew Diacono and John Grima. However, most of the older artworks on show are by unknown artists.

“Sculptors rarely signed their crucifix and thus many artists behind many outstanding crucifixes remain unknown. Their school or manufacture is only attributed on stylistic grounds after researching their origin, material and technique used,” curator Maria Cassar said at the exhibition’s opening last week.

“The crucifix was, above all, an object of devotion rather than a work of art.”

Ms Cassar explained that the depiction of the crucifixes across the centuries evolved in line with religious traditions and doctrines.

Christ was sometimes shown alive (Cristo Vivo) or expired (Cristo Morto), with the lowered head and the spear wound in his ribs. In Byzantine iconography, Jesus’s body was shown twisted on the cross, with hands outstretched horizontally.

During the Renaissance and Mannerist phases, Western monastic orders, such as the Franciscans, especially in Spain and Southern Italy, emphasised Jesus’s suffering by introducing very realistic details.

Other symbolic depictions such as that of the triumphant Christ – with arms raised and often surrounded by rays of light – also appeared.

By the baroque and rococo eras, artistic expressions around the crucifix had become more relaxed and yet more realist.

Two 20th-century crucifixes: (left) by Antonio Sciortino made of bronzed alloy of silver and tin, on loan from St Agatha Museum in Rabat, and by Giovanni Spiteri Sacco made of plaster and forming part of a private collection.

An object of devotion rather than a work of art

“Christ was no longer shown as a king of glory or a criminal stripped naked but with the anatomy of a man in agony,” Ms Cassar pointed out, referring to the iconographic models of the crucifix by Michelangelo, Giambologna, Duquesnoy and Algardi.

A 20th-century plaster crucifix by George Borg from the Heritage Malta Collection at MUŻA.

She remarked that it was, therefore, “no surprise” that the crucifix became an important feature of Malta’s sacred iconography, particularly since the arrival of the Order of St John in 1530.

Ms Cassar mentioned how large crucifixes installed on main altars were shifted to side altars of dedication and how the crucifix became an object of private devotion.

“From stately residences to simple dwellings across Europe and also in Malta, the crucifix was hung on walls or mounted on a base and placed on tables,” Ms Cassar said.

“Palaces and other important houses would have a private chapel where the crucifix was typically the centre of religious attention.”

The exhibits at the museum present a wide range of materials: from the precious ivory, bronze, marble, alabaster and silver to boxwood, limewood, fruitwood, papier-maché, wax and even coral.

An 18th-century cross made of wood and jewellery from the monastic community of Mount Athos, northern Greece. It forms part of a Maltese private collection.

Ms Cassar noted that crucifixes that were meant for private chapels and collections of the wealthy and aristocratic were frequently accompanied by a cross and base which would itself be an objet d’art.

“Fine cabinet-makers produced plinths and bases that would further enhance the artistry of the corpus. They used materials like ebony or similar hardwoods, often complemented by marquetry or inlays of tortoiseshell, ivory stringing, bone, delicate fruitwoods, mother-of-pearl and precious materials,” she said.

For these reasons, the curator added, crucifixes became not only an object of veneration but highly sought-after by collectors and museums.

Visitors to the exhibition are, however, urged to look beyond the aesthetic features of the items before them.

As Mgr Edgar Vella, a passionate art collector and the museum’s curator, comments in the foreword of a catalogue accompanying the exhibition: “One is invited to look beyond the beautifully-crafted sculptures and meditate on the true meaning of redemption as expressed in the images of the suffering servant nailed to the cross.”

The Human Turned Divine runs at the Mdina Cathedral Museum until November 30. Opening hours are from 9.30am to 5pm between Monday and Saturday.

It is supported by APS Bank.

An 18th-century ivory crucifix from northern Italy which forms part of a Maltese private collection.