HARTFORD, CONN.- The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art acquired an exceptionally rare 14th-century Italian painting, the Rasini Crucifixion, (c.1350), a foundational work of northern Italian art representing the impact of the new painting style set in motion a decade earlier by Giotto and his disciples—a decisive turning point in European art history. While the painter’s identity remains uncertain, the Veronese painter Altichiero (1330–before 1393) is a strong candidate for attribution.

“The Rasini Crucifixion is among the most significant trecento works to come to market in recent decades, and is now the most important early Italian painting in the Wadsworth’s collection,” said Dr. Keith Christiansen, Curator Emeritus in the Department of European Paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, “Although it is a work of relatively modest size, it possesses the narrative complexity and emotional impact of a monumental fresco on a chapel wall.”

The artist’s originality in depicting Christ’s torment on the cross is evident in the bold sculptural qualities of the figures, the rocky, nearly abstracted landscape, and a compressed bilateral composition – all highly expressive and iconographically powerful. Christ is positioned in isolation against a gold background, while below each member of the crowded scene has a different emotional reaction. Inventively foreshortened haloes tilt with the positions of the heads bearing them. Counterpoints in color, narrative, and form all point to a highly original artist of the first order with a particular gift for dramatic narration.

“Rarely does an early Italian painting of this quality and significance come onto the market. Not only is it a beautiful and deeply affecting object of devotion, but it comes to us in fine condition, and with a distinguished provenance directly from the heirs of Giovanni Rasini, whose family have stewarded the work for the past ninety years,” said Dr. Matthew Hargraves, Director of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. “We are extremely fortunate to have acquired such a great work of art which is now the finest early Italian picture in Hartford.”

Works of this time and place in art history have held a fascination for collectors over the centuries and have been acquired in the U.S. since the mid-1800s, even as trends in collecting come and go. Nicholas Hall, director of the eponymous gallery specializing in Old Master artworks said, “I think it noteworthy that this Crucifixion is the first trecento Italian painting acquired by the Wadsworth Atheneum since 1951, when Niccolò di Buonaccorso’s Annunciation was purchased by then Director Charles Cunningham. What makes this work so special is that it is a multifigural narrative scene of tremendous gravitas and dramatic intensity. With its new leadership, the Atheneum has placed itself among the most active museums in the United States when it comes to buying Early Modern European art and has shown exemplary commitment to cultivating its collections, having made a number of exceptional recent acquisitions, as well as caring for its existing masterpieces. It has been an honor to bring the Rasini Crucifixion to the Wadsworth.”

Dedication

The Wadsworth Atheneum’s Board of Trustees has dedicated the painting to Past President and Trustee David W. Dangremond in recognition of his tireless service to the museum over many decades. Art historian, educator, and philanthropist, Dangremond’s unparalleled contributions to the Wadsworth Atheneum began in 1992 when he became a trustee, before serving as Chair of the museum’s Curatorial Committee for twelve years. He co-chaired the museum’s Director Search Committee in 2008, and later chaired its very first Ethics Committee. Dangremond has also served on the museum’s Executive, Strategic Planning, Building, Architect Selection, Finance, and Austin House Committees. He was elected to the post of Vice President of the Board in 1998, and served as its President between 2011 and 2015, a period in which he oversaw the total renovation of the museum’s campus of buildings and reinstallation of its collections. In addition to his service to the Wadsworth Atheneum, Dangremond has been a member of the Art History faculty at Trinity College in Hartford and Vice President of the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, Connecticut. He has also served as a trustee of many other museums and cultural organizations throughout the state, including the Connecticut Historical Society, the Connecticut Humanities Council, and the Hill-Stead Museum. Nationally, he serves as a trustee of The Winterthur Museum in Delaware, a member of the National Advisory Board of Mount Vernon in Virginia, and as Chairman of the Newport Symposium for the Preservation Society of Newport in Rhode Island.