Corpus for a Crucifix,

14th century

Bronze corpora, sculpted bodies of the crucified Christ, survive in large numbers. They were made to attach to the crosses that stood on Roman Catholic altars or were carried in procession. Corpora were preserved, even after they had been detached from their crosses, because they were valued as sacred images. The selection here includes earlier examples depicting the Triumphant Christ upright on the cross, standing on a platform, and crowned as victorious over death. Later images represent Christ suffering, as the Passion (Jesus’s torture and death) was emphasized as part of an effort to make Biblical events more immediate for worshipers.