Passion according to Jaquerio in Buttigliera Alta

Christ's Ascent to Calvary is the masterpiece of the Turin-born painter Giacomo Jaquerio, a leading exponent of the International Gothic style, created in the chapel used as the sacristy of the Preceptory of Sant'Antonio di Ranverso in the first quarter of the 15th century. The fresco highlights the artist's figurative experience in engaging with the major themes of Christ's Passion, central to European artistic culture between the late Gothic and early 15th centuries. In this sense, the Ranverso scene is not merely a pictorial narrative, but is fully integrated into the spirituality associated with the rites of Holy Week, when images of the Passion—through painting, preaching, and sacred representations—became instruments of meditation and emotional engagement for the faithful.

What distinguishes this depiction from the other frescoes in the chapel is the more realistic rendering of the characters within a dramatic scene. To heighten devotees' meditation and participation in the suffering of Christ's Passion, Jaquerio accentuated the pathetic and dramatic elements of the scene. The space is not rendered with correct perspective, but the sense of depth is achieved by arranging the figures in an arch and placing the faces of those further back higher than those in the foreground.

The contrast between Good and Evil is evident in the crowd, both in the choice of colors and in certain gestures. The characters holding the cross or the one pulling Jesus with a rope have features so distorted and distorted that they almost appear to have inhuman connotations. Among the crowd, the blacksmith, whom the Jews turn to forge the nails for Christ's cross, can be recognized in the man holding three nails and a hammer (his participation in the events of the Passion is found in some popular theatrical performances in France and England), and Judas with his red beard and hair (a color that evokes violence and the flames of hell) and yellow robe, to evoke betrayal.

INFO
Preceptory of Sant'Antonio di Ranverso
Location: Sant'Antonio di Ranverso, Buttigliera Alta
April 5-6, 3 pm
The Passion of Christ According to Jaquerio
Activity cost: €5, plus admission
Admission fee: full €5, reduced €4
Reductions are available for: children under 18, over 65, groups of 15 or more
Children under 6 and Museum Pass holders: free admission
Reservations required

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Preceptory of Sant'Antonio di Ranverso - Buttigliera Alta

Town of Buttigliera Alta - Buttigliera Alta