2005.02

Betsy Scheuring

Gift

Gift of Betsy Scheuring

20th Century

12-1/4 in

10-1/2 in

1 in

Spirit Made Tangible: The Scheuring Icon Collection (2006)

Surveying the Sacred: Analysis of the Scheuring Collection of Eastern Orthodox Icons (2025)

Cultural/Historical Context

It is a traditional rendering of the Crucifixion at Golgotha, showing Christ on the Cross with eyes closed in a white loincloth surrounded by the Virgin and Mary Magdalene on his right and the Apostle John and Longinus, the Roman centurion who pierced Christ’s side with his lance on his left. Two weeping angels are stationed above the cross, which is in the Orthodox style and has additional horizontal wood pieces above Christ's head and at his feet. The instruments of the Passion appear within the scene: at Christ’s right is the spear and on his left is the sponge on a reed, used to give Christ vinegar when he asked for water. At the Lord’s feet appears the skull of Adam, said to have been exposed by an earthquake during the Crucifixion. In the upper left and right corners are the sun (which has darkened) and the moon (which has become bloody). In typical Byzantine fashion, the background and figures’ haloes are painted in gold. The crucifixion takes place before a grey-black brick wall with onion dome buildings behind it in red, brown, pink, and blue.