The body of Christ hangs lifeless on the cross from the nails through his hands, his head is bowed to one side and his eyes are closed, in the image known as the christus patiens (suffering Christ) (Fig.1). In this emotive image, his slumped body on the cross indicates that the agonies of the crucifixion are over and he is dead.
Prior to the early 13th century in western art, Christ was more usually shown alive on the cross, triumphant over death, with his eyes wide open and without any sign of pain, in an image known as the christus triumphans (christ triumphant) (Fig.2). However, the emergence of mendicant groups in the early 13th century, and the development of popular devotion and lay spirituality, affected religious imagery.
Through their commissions of paintings with crucifixion scenes, the Franciscans were instrumental in the development of the christus patiens image, a motif borrowed from eastern art. The pathos of this image encouraged a compassionate and empathetic response from the spectator, and facilitated meditation upon Christ's suffering and his death on the cross to save mankind.
