Smithsonian American Art Museum
Crucifijo
Unidentified · 19th century
Carvings of the crucified Christ were popular subjects of santeros, artists who created santos, carved wooden images of saints. In this figure, Christ’s limp body looks as if it is shifting, emphasizing the excruciating pain of having his hands and feet nailed to the cross. Such images of extreme suffering are related to the rites of the penitentes in New Mexico and to the tradition of carving saints’ images.
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