Calvary with the Fall

Created: mid-18th century

Material, technology: painted and gilt limewood

Size: h.: 85 cm, base w.: 33.5 cm

Description: The tree of the cross with Christ grows from roots made of ears of corn and bunches of grape. At the foot of it Eve is handing Adam the fruit of the Fall. Amidst the living leafy branches of the tree at Christ’s feet the serpent appears. The Calvary group represents a rare iconographic type. The connection between the original sin and Christ’s death is usually symbolized by Adam’s skull put at the foot of the cross. The skull is also here, but the scene of the Fall is also depicted to emphasize that Christ’s death on the cross is the redemption for the original sin. The Calvary group is an artistically superior creation whose master knew well the sculpture of Vienna in the first half of the 18th century.