Guess the Artwork
Words by Barry Lillie
Cristo velato - Veiled Christ by Giuseppe Sanmartino in the Museo Cappella Sansevero (Sansevero Chapel Museum) in Naples.
Situated in the centre of the nave within the chapel, the Veiled Christ was originally commissioned by Raimondo di Sangro to be made by the Venetian sculptor Antonio Corradini. Sadly Corradini died in 1752 before the work could be completed, so using his original drawings and a scale model made in terracotta, the work of art was finally started by Naples born sculptor Giuseppe Sanmartino a year later.
Di Sangro: Prince of Sansevero had a vision for a life-size statue, carved from a single block of marble representing Jesus lying dead beneath a transparent shroud. Although he worked from drawings, Sanmartino added more of a baroque feeling to the veil which originally was drawn to be more simplistic. You can see the differences by visiting the Museo di San Martino (Museum of Saint Martin) where the terracotta model is housed.
Sanmartino considered the veil to be as important as the body he was carving beneath it, so gave it a fluidity that echoed the sentiments of the work, some folds are twisted, depicting pain while others are soft enough to show mercy. The translucency of the veil almost makes the naked body beneath appear more visible, allowing the lines and form of the tortured Christ to be more distinct.
If you take a closer look at the statue, beneath the veil you can see a swollen vein on the forehead and the wounds made from nails in the hands and feet, these have been so intricately carved to appear beneath the shroud that many people believed that the stature was a work of art and alchemy. Very soon rumours of a veil being laid over the statue and transformed into marble by some unknown pseudoscience sprang up and although this adds a frisson of notoriety it is in fact untrue.
Sanmartino paid attention to every detail of his statue including the meticulously carved embroidered edge of the veil and the instruments of passion laid at the feet of his Christ figure that it has captivated people from the moment it was unveiled. Previous famous people who have been beguiled by the statue have included the Marquis de Sade and the Italian journalist and novelist Matilde Serao. It is alleged that sculptor Antonio Canova said, after seeing it, that he would have given up ten years of his life to have been the creator of this unrivalled artwork.
The museum is situated on Via de Sanctis Francesco, 19, Napoli and for up to date information on opening hours and admission prices call +39 081 551 8470.
