Crucifixion with the Holy Women, St John, St Jerome and St Francis

This small centred panel, with a semi-circular upper part), entitled “Crucifixion with the Holy Women, St. John, St. Jerome and St. Francis” is attributed to the workshop of Domenico Ghirlandaio and can be dated back to the end of the 15th century.
The work features the crucifixion scene set in an inaccessible, rocky landscape. In the centre is Christ on the cross, which occupies the entire height of the painting. On the left, Mary of Clèofa and St. John hold the grief-stricken Madonna. The woman on her back and kneeling is Magdalene, whose peculiar posture suggests full participation in the tragic moment. On the other side of the cross, to the right, St. Jerome and St. Francis are kneeling, with gestures drawn from popular devotion. The first, with clasped hands, is accompanied by a lion. On the ground is his cardinal's hat, as per iconographic tradition. Behind him, St. Francis raises his right hand up to his face. On both hands, the stigmata are depicted as beams of light.
In the background, we see a line of people tied by a rope heading towards Calvary. This narration displays a quick and agitated style.
The earthy, burnished tones of the landscape in the background enhance the dramatic nature of the painting, where patches of red emphasise details and create an almost violent colour contrast.
This panel can be placed in the context of the collaborators of Domenico Ghirlandaio, whose workshop in the last decades of the 15th century was particularly active and produced works in which it is difficult to distinguish the individual masters who sometimes participated in the production of parts of a single painting. One of these is Bartolomeo di Giovanni, who was often called upon to paint predelle, given his aptitude for small formats. Domenico Ghirlandaio and his workshop are responsible for the clouds with their bases in the typical shape of small flying saucers, the meticulously rendered views of the landscape in the Flemish style, and the figures arranged with particular balance in the apparent crowding.