Why it matters
Straining, muscular men raise the cross on which Christ is nailed. Rubens's first important religious commission after returning from Italy, the triptych introduced large-scale Baroque painting to Flemish art.
Did you know?
- Rubens painted it in 1610 and 1611.
- It was made for the high altar of St. Walburga Church in Antwerp.
- Its hinged wings allow an 'open' and a 'closed' view.
Based on the Wikipedia article The Elevation of the Cross (Rubens) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
