Christ falls under the cross, Antonio Campi's workshop

Lombard painter, late 16th - early 17th century
Workshop of Antonio Campi (Cremona, 1524-1587)
Christ falls under the cross

Oil on canvas, cm. 92 x 75
With frame cm. 106 x 89
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The work, depicting the ascent to Calvary of the Passion of Christ, reveals stylistic features in accordance with Lombard painting, and more precisely Cremonese, of the second half of the sixteenth century, referable in the results to the creations of Antonio Campi (Cremona, 1524-1587).

The Campi were a family of painters active in particular in Cremona, but also in Bergamo, Milan and Brescia during the 16th century. In their creations they developed a style that incorporated mannerist elements with some of the Venetian school of Titian, alongside German and Flemish influences.

These mixes of influences are perfectly evident in our composition, of a qualitative level such as to fear the hypothesis of being in the presence of a work born inside the workshop of the Campi.

The composition sees Jesus fall under the torture of the cross, on the way to Calvary: the episode shows considerable expressive power, supported by the descriptive will that the painter wanted to dedicate to the scene.

Christ is genuflected, fallen to the ground under the weight of the cross, wrapped in a vermilion red robe, the color of martyrdom, and crowned with thorns. He is trying to get up, leaning on a stone, with his gaze fixed downwards, as if he wanted to cross that of the faithful who become part of his Passion: the work in fact, probably part of an altar, was destined to be placed in high respect to the viewer.

Next to him is a soldier who, from behind, pulls the rope tied to Jesus mercilessly at life, and Simon the Cyrene who raises the cross in a gesture of help. In the background are the Virgin and the disciple John, who brings his hands to his face, as if in a sign of prayer.

Behind the protagonists a hilly area where the city of Jerusalem can be seen far away (in reality the painter may have portrayed a city in Northern Italy, probably the hometown of the client).

Of clear Lombard ancestry, with Venetian and Flemish echoes, the great importance attributed to light and the use of color: the environment is crossed by an intense glow, dominated by a suggestive sky started at sunset, which radiates the characters, emphasizing a particularly lively color range.

Conservation status:
Considering the time, the canvas is in excellent condition, not yet restored and still in patina.
The examination with the wood lamp does not show significant restorations, with an almost totally original pictorial fabric, if not for some retouching in the sky and on the soldier's calf (photos with ultraviolet fluorescence on request).
Present an old reintelo. Complete with ancient frame, not coeval.

The work is accompanied by a photographic authenticity expertise according to the law (FIMA - CINOA).
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