Its importance lies, in part, in the stylistic innovations and departure from some of the prevailing Byzantine conventions of the time, towards greater expressionism (especially in its portrayal of the agonies of death by crucifixion), empathy and humanism.

[3] The Crucifix was commissioned by members of the Dominican Order for the Basilica of San Domenico, Arezzo, Tuscany, where it has hung since its completion, above the high altar; occupying, in the words of art historian Monica Chiellini, the "position of absolute prestige...and the most decorative element [in a medieval church]".

[4][5] Art historian Christopher Kleinhenz believes the move away from the Byzantine style was motivated by a desire to emphasise the "immediate, accessible, and human aspects of the deity", in line with the doctrines of piety emerging from both the Dominican and Franciscan orders.

[5] The plaque on the vertical bar above Christ's head bears the INRI inscription Hic est Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudeorum ("Here is Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews").

[6] The saints are painted with bright coloured hues, with gold highlights along the lines of their clothes (this gilding is absent in the more austere Santa Croce panels).

This 2-metre artwork was constructed according to contemporary medieval Italian methods, in particular those documented in Cennino Cennini’s c. 1400 work Libro dell’Arte.