The Crucifixion

Image from: St Philip’s Anglican Cathedral, Birmingham

Jesus is nailed to a large cross which directs the eye of the observer from the foot of the image to the head and arms of Christ and the letters INRI. These are the initials of the Latin words which Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor of Judea, had placed on the cross over Christ’s head when he was sentenced to crucifixion by the authorities. In translation, the words mean Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews (St John’s Gospel, chapter 19, verse 19). Christ wears a crown of thorns and a loin cloth with a foliage design. His halo is also patterned with flowers. The clouds are represented as circles and connect visually with the turbans of the onlookers at the foot of the cross.