The Hill of Calvary – (Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio Da Urbino)) ◄ Previous Next ►

Artist: Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio Da Urbino)

Style: Renaissance

Topic: Hills Nature Religious Scenes

Technique: Oil

Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary, also known as Sicilia's Spasimo, is a painting of the Italian High Renaissance master Raphael, circa 1516-1517. It is housed in the Museo del Prado of Madrid. As an altarpiece it is not the usual image of the Virgin and Christ child, but an episode from a narrative. It depicts Jesus on a road called cavalry and the moment when he slipped while carrying his cross to Golgotha and his mother suffers a spasm of agony, hence its is called “Lo Spasimo”. All the emotion of the painting is densely crammed into the foreground and the background is similar to that of a stage set with distant groups of people and crosses. The man on the left in the foreground is similar to a figure in Raphael’s painting “The Judgement of Solomon” in the stanze, except reversed. Simon of Cyrene lifts Christ’s cross momentarily and looks sternly at the guards. The four Mary’s are depicted on the right side of the painting and towering on either side of the composition are the guards.