Miniature altarpiece with the Crucifixion

The central carvings of the upper triptych show the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus; each outer wing contains two scenes from the biblical Old Testament.

The complex base contains a round carving which opens like a boxwood prayer nut.

Only about 150 Gothic boxwood miniatures survive;[1] and of these only some twenty are multi-panel, i.e. triptych or diptychs like altarpieces.

They are depictions of the Sacrifice of Abraham on the upper left, Samson carrying the Doors of Gaza at lower left, Moses and the Brazen Serpent on the upper right, and Jonah and the Whale on the lower right.

[4] Each wing contains a carved inscription; "Ge[nesis]" (left), and "Nu[mbers]" (right).

Miniature Altarpiece with the Crucifixion , early 16th century. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Detail, Crucifixion. The inscription at the footing reads Christ pass [ us ] e[ st ] [ pro ] nobis .
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