“Imagine composta, come si crede, di umano tegumento”. Manufatti polimaterici del Cristo morto in Italia

The article focuses on three Italian poly-material crucifixes with similar features: the artifacts from Perugia, Mercatello sul Metauro and Orte. These sculptures of the crucified Christ can be date to the 14th century; the body is made of various materials, covered in leather over a structure of wood and wool, entirely flexible and very light. The fact that they are endowed with soft, flexible limbs as well as horsehair beard and hair, makes them look like dead bodies, with an astonishingly realistic effect. These poly-material crucifixes are great examples of the incorporation of new techniques and materials in medieval sculptural production. In addition to their appearance, the article attempts to analyse the ritual and liturgical function of these simulacra. Included in the broad chapter of ‘animated’ statues, they have been generically referred to the rites of holy week. By referring to documentary sources, an attempt will be made to show how the devotional uses of these artefacts were different and underwent changes between the Middle Ages and the Modern Era