Grünewald Crucifix – Hand-Carved Wooden Cross from South Tyrol

The Grünewald Crucifix is a wooden cross with a corpus that shows the suffering Christ with widely outstretched arms on the cross. The crossbar is curved, and in the stained finish the wood looks warm and somewhat darker. The INRI sign sits at the top of the upright.

The model is Matthias Grünewald’s depiction of the Crucifixion on the Isenheim Altarpiece, in which the suffering of Christ is at the centre. The altarpiece was made in 1512–1516 for the Antonite preceptory in Isenheim and can be seen today in the Musée Unterlinden in Colmar. Whether our carved figure is modelled directly on the painting is not documented; the allusion is to the type.

• Sizes: 16 cm, 25 cm
• Finish: stained – stain of water and wax in a medium wood tone, slightly glossy
• Wood: Wood from the Val Gardena valley (mainly lime wood, depending on size also maple or Swiss stone pine)

A crucifix like this suits people who do not shy away from the seriousness of the Passion: as a gift for a pastoral carer, for Holy Week or for a sickroom. In a hallway or beside the bed, it turns the eye to what is essential. Further crucifixes can be found among thestatues of Christ.

The Grünewald Crucifix is carved by hand in Val Gardena, and grain and stain tone differ slightly from piece to piece. Expect approx. 3–4 weeks until delivery; it is insured, comes directly from South Tyrol and goes to Germany and Austria only (€6.90).