Provoost probably made this Crucifixion for the Jerusalem Chapel in Bruges. This was the meeting place of the Brotherhood of the Jerusalem Pilgrims, of which the painter himself was a member. While his contemporaries would generally have painted Jerusalem from their imaginations, it is highly probable that Provoost had seen the city with his own eyes. His depiction to the left is based on his personal observations. Conversely, Constantinople, which is seen to the right, is far less accurately portrayed.
There are two moments from the life of Christ that have undoubtedly been depicted more than any others in historical paintings: his birth and his death on the cross. This teeming, theatrical crucifixion is by the Bruges-based painter Jan Provoost. It takes a little while to make sense of the melee.
In the background of such a crucifixion scene, it was common to show Jerusalem, the city in which the event took place. The striking thing is that Provoost’s Jerusalem, which can be seen on the left, was not painted from the imagination, as was generally the case during his era. He had almost certainly visited the city before painting this work, which he created sometime after 1505. This is no coincidence: Provoost was a member of the Brotherhood of Jerusalem Pilgrims. He probably painted this crucifixion for their Jerusalem Chapel in Bruges.
Let us begin on the left-hand side in the foreground. Here we see the grieving Mary, Jesus’ mother, and his pupil, John, exiting the scene, together with the two sorrowful Marys. On the far right, unsavoury, bickering soldiers are playing dice for Christ’s clothes. In the centre, Mary Magdalene is clasping the wood of the cross and weeping tears over Jesus’ feet. The horseman to her left is the blind Roman soldier, Longinus. He is piercing Jesus’ side with his lance to check whether he is dead. A drop of blood falls into Longinus’ eye and he perceives that Jesus is God. As this happens, Longinus suddenly regains his sight – according to a medieval legend, that is. In the background, the crowd of spectators is making its way back towards Jerusalem. At the top right, we see Constantinople, painted with a vivid imagination beneath a threatening blanket of clouds.
Jan Provoost was one of Bruges’ most important 16th-century artists. He received numerous commissions from the city and ecclesiastical institutions. Such as for this Crucifixion, which was probably the central panel of a triptych.