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Cristo Yacente of El Pardo

Cristo Yacente of El Pardo is a life-size polychromed sculpture by the Spanish artist Gregorio Fernández, executed between 1614 and 1615. It was commissioned by King Philip III to celebrate the birth of his son, Philip IV. The sculpture is housed in a chapel of the Capuchin Monastery of El Pardo in Madrid. It is the most famous of the fourteen Christ figures produced by Fernández and his workshop. Like other devotional images of the period, it was created to be used in Holy Week processions and reflects Counter-Reformation ideals that sought realism to move the faithful.

Cristo Yacente, a recumbent sculpture of Christ lying on a raised platform with visible wounds.
Cristo Yacente shown lying on a raised platform, with an ornate pillow supporting his head.
April 2016 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cristo Yacente reclining wooden sculpture displayed in a glass case
Cristo Yacente shown reclining inside a glass display case.
© · CC BY 2.5
Cristo Yacente reclining in a glass display case with flowers below
Cristo Yacente shown reclining inside a dark display case, with flowers arranged below the glass.
© · CC BY 2.5
Cristo Yacente wooden sculpture showing the upper body, with dark hair, a beard, and blood on the forehead and chest while resting on an ornate pillow.
Close-up of Cristo Yacente, a painted wooden sculpture of Christ lying on an ornate patterned pillow.
April 2018 © · CC0
Black-and-white print of Cristo Yacente showing a reclining figure beneath a crucifix with winged angels above.
Cristo Yacente depicted in a black-and-white print with a reclining figure, crucifix, and angels above.
January 1804 © · CC BY-SA 4.0

Identification

TitleCristo Yacente of El Pardo
TypeLife-size polychromed reclining Christ sculpture
SubjectJesus Christ lying on a shroud after the Crucifixion, laid in the Holy Sepulchre
Alternative namesCristo Yacente; Cristo yacente; Cristo de El Pardo

Historical context

DateTraditionally 1605; other historians place it around 1614–1615
Commissioned byKing Philip III
Commissioned forAn offering to celebrate the birth of his first male child, later Philip IV
Cultural contextCreated in line with Counter-Reformation demands for realism in religious images

Creator

Artist nationalitySpanish
Alternative attributionAttributed to Gregorio Fernández and his workshop
Workshop involvementGregorio Fernández and his workshop
ArtistGregorio Fernández

Discovery and provenance

Place of executionValladolid, according to the traditional hypothesis
Donation date1615
Donated tothe Madrid convent where it is currently displayed
Number of related worksOne of fourteen or fifteen reclining Christs attributed to Gregorio Fernández and his workshop

Physical characteristics

ScaleLife-size
Viewing orientationDesigned to be viewed from the side
PoseThe head tilts to the right, the right leg is slightly more raised than the left, and the arms extend over the bed separated from the trunk
SupportThe head and part of the chest rest on a pillow
Hair treatmentSeveral locks of hair are spread on both sides of the pillow
Expression of deathDeath is conveyed through the wounds and sores from the Way of the Cross and the Crucifixion, with no visible rigor mortis except for a slight swelling of the body

Materials

MaterialPolychromed wood

Appearance

CompositionThe composition seeks a certain sense of symmetry

Iconography and meaning

MeaningA devotional image processed during Holy Week with other pasos

Location and ownership

Current locationA lateral chapel in the Church of the Convent of the Capuchin Fathers, El Pardo, Madrid, Spain
Display containerA bronze and marble urn
Urn makerFélix Granda
Urn date1940
Urn donorFrancisco Franco Bahamonde
Urn donor residenceRoyal Palace of El Pardo

History and restoration

Lateral chapel architectIsidro González Velázquez
Lateral chapel built1830–1833
Returned to conventOctober 1939
Spanish Civil WarTaken to the Prado Museum, San Francisco el Grande, the Royal Palace of El Pardo, and the Basilica of Jesús de Medinaceli
Peninsular WarHidden by the residents of El Pardo at an unknown location
Displayed there since1615, except for periods linked to wars
Convent patronagePromoted under Philip III
Convent foundation date1612

Significance

AssessmentConsidered one of Gregorio Fernández's masterpieces
Historical interpretationSome authors consider it an early work, while José Ignacio Martín González argued it is more consistent with an artist in maturity
Quality-based dating argumentIts artistic quality suggests a mature phase of Gregorio Fernández's career
Series attribution notePossibly one of the last works in the series of reclining Christs attributed to Gregorio Fernández and his workshop
Prototype statusIt does not seem to be the head model or first example of the series
Art historical contextA recurring theme in Spanish sculpture of the 16th and 17th centuries
PrecedentsJuan de Juni, Gaspar Becerra, and Francisco de la Maza, among other Renaissance sculptors