THE CRUCIFIXION

Fra Angelico (active 1417; died 1455)

The Crucifixion is one of the earliest surviving panel paintings by Fra Angelico and perhaps the earliest version of the subject he was to return to again and again throughout his life and career.

Painted in the 1420s, 'The Crucifixion with the Virgin, Saint John the Evangelist and the Magdalen' exemplifies the power, beauty and sensitivity for which Fra Angelico would become known, and offers key insights into his painterly style and the development of European painting more broadly.

Both a Dominican friar and one of the most celebrated artists of the Italian Renaissance, Fra Angelico is best known in Italy today as Beato Angelico or ‘Blessed Angelic One’. His paintings are characterised by their extraordinary psychological penetration, compelling naturalism and distinctive colour palette of blue, pink-red and gold.

He allegedly never painted a Crucifixion without tears streaming down his face. This early work, probably made for private devotion, evocatively conveys the emotional responses of each mourning figure. The Virgin Mary gazes outwards with watery eyes, drawing our attention to the body of her dead son. Miraculously, the wood at the top of the cross transforms into a verdant tree where a pelican feeds her young with her own blood – a symbol of Christ’s self-sacrifice. The flourishing tree suggests hope and new life after death.

The Crucifixion with the Virgin, Saint John the Evangelist and the Magdalen
Fra Angelico (active 1417; died 1455)
Early 1420s
Tempera on panel, 59.7 x 34.2 cm
The painting retains its original engaged frame.

View on our Collection Online Site: WA2024.83

To license this image please visit the Ashmolean Image Library

This early Crucifixion painting by Fra Angelico was recently acquired by the Ashmolean Museum thanks to a successful fundraising campaign. It went on public display in 2024 for all to enjoy in the Early Italian Art Gallery on Level 2 of the Museum, joining a later work by Fra Angelico and his studio: a triptych of the Virgin and Child, which has been a highlight of the gallery for many years.

This important new acquisition spent 200 years in a British private collection and was only recognised as a work by the great Florentine artist in 1996.

More information about the acquisition can be found in our press release here.

The Ashmolean houses an extensive Italian Renaissance collection that includes important pieces by Raphael, Michelangelo and Uccello, as well as another rare, later work by Fra Angelico and his studio: a triptych of the Virgin and Child. There are very few major paintings by Fra Angelico in public collections in the UK, and no complete works by the artist – the National Gallery and the Courtauld Gallery only hold fragments of larger altarpieces in their collections.

The Virgin and Child with Angels and a Dominican Saint, 1450–1455, Triptych painting, Fra Angelico

The Virgin and Child with Angels and a Dominican Saint, Fra Angelico, 1450–1455. WA1850.5 © Ashmolean Museum

Now that the acquisition of The Crucifixion has been successful, it makes the Ashmolean the only museum in the country where visitors can witness Fra Angelico’s development over the course of his career. The Crucifixion complements and significantly enhances the Museum’s important collection of Early Italian religious works.

This acquisition was made possible thanks to exceptional support from:

The Lord Lupton CBE
The National Heritage Memorial Fund
David and Molly Lowell Borthwick
Art Fund, with a contribution from The Wolfson Foundation
The Headley Trust
The Emmett Family
Barrie and Deedee Wigmore
John Booth CVO
Dr Anthea Hume
Patrons of the Ashmolean Museum
Lord and Lady Sassoon
Ian and Caroline Laing

And the generosity of:

In memory of David Boyle
Mrs Rosamond Brown
Henry Oldfield Trust
Christian Levett
Chris Rokos
The Fernside Trust
Denys and Victoria Firth
Ruddock Foundation for the Arts
Daniel Katz Gallery
The Lady Heseltine
In the memory of Robert Berg
Catherine Lewis Foundation
The Eddie Dinshaw Foundation
In the memory of Anthea Gibson
Fabrizio Moretti
Park Charitable Trust
Rockcliffe Charitable Trust
The Society of Dilettanti Charitable Trust
Omnia Art Ltd.

With additional thanks to:

Nicholas Barber CBE, David & Lexi Young Charitable Trust, Lord Faringdon Charitable Trust, Michael and Sue Pragnell, Francis Russell, Sir Martin Smith and Lady Smith OBE, Cristina and Nicholas White, John and Margaret Leighfield, Dame Helen Ghosh, Sir David Scholey, The British Italian Society, Mr and Mrs E Leckie, Sue and Sandy Arbuthnot, A friend of Blackfriars, Dr Harry Dickinson, Dame Pippa Harris, Miss Elizabeth Howe OPL, Teresa Krasny, Richard Mayou, Christopher North and Sophie de Brito e Cunha-North, Mr and Mrs Michael Pelham, Adrian Sassoon, Edward Smyth, Mark Stevenson, and those who wish to remain anonymous along with many generous others.

With special thanks to Art Fund for its exceptional support to close the campaign in its final days.