Christ Carrying the Cross

c. 1515–17

In the 1510s, Sebastiano del Piombo traveled to Rome, where he was drawn into the lively competition between the period's two great luminaries, Michelangelo and Raphael. Michelangelo took Sebastiano under his wing, teaching him his monumental style and providing drawings for commissions. This painting represents a popular composition by Piombo, who became one of the most distinguished painters working during the High Renaissance.

Public domain · CC0
Free to download and reuse. Image courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago.

Artist

Sebastiano del Piombo (Italian, c. 1485–1547)

Date

c. 1515–17

Medium

Oil on panel

Dimensions

118 × 92 cm (46 7/16 × 36 1/4 in.); Framed: 143.6 × 117.5 × 8.3 cm (56 1/2 × 46 1/4 × 3 1/4 in.)

Origin

Italy

Collection

Art Institute of Chicago

Credit

Lacy Armour, Ada Turnbull Hertle, Mary Swissler Oldberg Acquisition, Charles H. and Mary F. S. Worcester Collection funds; Wirt D. Walker Trust; Alyce and Edwin DeCosta and the Walter E. Heller Foundation Fund; Estate of Walter Aitken; Frederick W. Renshaw Acquisition, Marian and Samuel Klasstorner funds; Edward E. Ayer Fund in Memory of Charles L. Hutchinson; Lara T. Magnuson Acquisition, Director's funds; Samuel A. Marx Purchase Fund for Major Acquisitions; Edward Johnson, Maurice D. Galleher Endowment, Simeon B. Williams, Capital Campaign General Acquisitions, Wentworth Greene Field Memorial, Samuel P. Avery, Morris L. Parker, Irving and June Seaman Endowment, and Betty Bell Spooner funds