Mary mourns, that is quite clear. She stands at the foot of the cross, beneath the dying Christ. The fact that a sculptor depicted human emotions in such a natural way made Claus Sluter (1350-1406) a great innovator in art. His realism paved the way for later greats such as the Flemish Van Eyck brothers and certainly also Rembrandt.
The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam bought the 57-centimeter-high boxwood sculpture ‘Calvary’ by Sluter in the spring of 2021. In it he depicts the crucifixion of Christ with Mary and John the Evangelist.
A lioness with cubs under the cross
Research after the purchase revealed the special characteristics in his work. Sluter is recognizable not only by Mary’s emotions, but also by the helmet-like crown of thorns on Christ’s head. Also very special is the lioness with cubs in a den beneath the tree that forms the cross. Animal figures are rare as symbols of Jesus’ resurrection.
Sluter probably carved the sculpture for use in a private chapel.
The innovator did not often work in wood. He was more of a stonemason and learned ‘stone carving’ from the Brussels guild of stonemasons. His most famous works are therefore carved from stone and alabaster and are in France, where he worked in Dijon for the Burgundian Court.
‘The Michelangelo of the Low Countries’
As a groundbreaking artist he was honored no less than four times in the decoration of the 19th-century Rijksmuseum building. He is visible in a large tile tableau on the south facade. He stands with other artists in a relief on the front. Finally, he is also included in a stained glass window in the Entrance Hall and in the Gallery of Honour. He is also nicknamed ‘The Michelangelo of the Low Countries’, because it is believed he was born in Haarlem, North Holland.
From 1385 Sluter worked on famous ceremonial tombs for, among others, his patron Philip the Bold. With again: mourning people, or ‘pleurants’. His most famous work is considered to be the Well of Moses, which can be found in the Carthusian monastery of Champmol, again in Dijon. The figures seem to look at you attentively.
