The Story
The Crucifixion of Saint Andrew, 1606–7. Caravaggio (Italian, 1571–1610). Oil on canvas; framed: 233.5 x 184 x 12 cm (91 15/16 x 72 7/16 x 4 3/4 in.); unframed: 202.5 x 152.7 cm (79 3/4 x 60 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund, 1976.2
Created in 1606 during the Baroque period, this work belongs firmly within the tragedy & death tradition. Caravaggio worked at a moment when the rivalry between Catholic Baroque drama and Protestant restraint reshaped what a painting could mean. Every gesture, fabric, and gleam of light was decoded by contemporary viewers like a private language.
Executed in oil on canvas, measuring Framed: 233.5 x 184 x 12 cm (91 15/16 x 72 7/16 x 4 3/4 in.); Unframed: 202.5 x 152.7 cm (79 3/4 x 60 1/8 in.), the surface rewards close looking. Caravaggio builds the composition through layered glazes and a tightly controlled palette, letting cool shadows recede so that the warm, lit passages step forward. The brushwork shifts from the precise to the almost dissolved — a hallmark of mature Baroque practice.
“A silence so complete it becomes its own witness.”
