By Menachem Wecker
Religion News Service
(RNS) Paintings and sculptures of what may be the most iconic scene in the history of art -- the crucifixion of Jesus -- are no longer commanding the auction prices they once did.
While it’s common for individual works to occasionally sell for less than they are worth, consider:
- In January, a late 14th-century Florentine painting of Jesus on the cross estimated between $80,000 and $120,000 sold at Sotheby’s for $86,500.
- An Italian Crucifixion from the same period, estimated between $100,000 and $150,000, sold for $110,500 at the same auction.
- The previous December, Sotheby’s London sold a mid-16th century Netherlandish Crucifixion sculpture estimated at $31,500 to $47,000 for about $27,500.
Even images of Crucifixions by established masters can be purchased on the cheap, said Joaneath Spicer, curator of Renaissance and baroque art at The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. Spicer hasn’t purchased Crucifixions for the museum in some time.
In part, she said, Christian art has become the victim of its own success.
“If I want more Crucifixion bronzes, there are some in storage that are quite nice,” she said.
But there are other cultural factors that may be contributing to the declining sales prices. One of them may be changing worship styles that rely more on words and music and less on visual images. A bigger one may be an unwillingness to openly and publicly display one’s religious commitments.
“The de-emphasis on art as part of the devotional experience within the Catholic Church surely has had some impact on this,” said Spicer.
Catholics are also less likely to display religious art in their homes, said Eike Schmidt, curator of decorative arts and sculpture at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
“Wealthy Catholics nowadays, in general, do not seem to be particularly ambitious to crown their art collections with an outstanding crucifix or a painted Crucifixion,” said Schmidt, a former Sotheby’s London department head. “House-altars have become a rarity.”
The interiors depicted in architectural magazines and furniture sales catalogs today tend to be devoid of any religious iconography, “with the odd exception of mass-produced Buddha heads, which I suspect have very little to do with Buddhist theology and practice,” Schmidt added.
James Martin, a Jesuit priest and editor at large at America magazine, agrees that Catholics are less likely to adorn their homes with Sacred Hearts or crucifixes.
“People are less comfortable with displaying their piety on their walls for fear of offending people because we live in a less religious culture all around,” he said.
At a time when prosperity teachings are especially popular, people don’t relate as much to Christian concepts of sin and suffering.
And for non-Christians, the image of the suffering Jesus can be particularly troubling.
“If you’re not religious, the image of a person nailed to a cross is probably very uncomfortable,” Martin says. “It’d be like getting an image of a man strapped to an electric chair.”
With a rising Asian market for art, it’s not surprising many buyers are turning their backs on Christian imagery.
“I have seen museum visitors from India and China to be surprised and appalled by the depiction of a man who dies from torture, and moreover to be told that this is the central image and at the theological core of a world religion,” said Schmidt, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts curator.
Despite their lack of comfort with religious art, collectors are looking for direct images that strike an emotional chord. For many collectors, that means contemporary art, such as works by Andy Warhol, but that kind of directness is displayed in works by the Old Masters, many of which are religious, as well.
“The Old Masters field in general -- while some of the prices have hit astronomical levels, which is terrific -- is undervalued,” said Margi Schwartz, senior vice president and head of the European sculpture and tapestry department at Sotheby’s.
“It’s a supply and demand issue,” she added. “And as we feel that squeeze, I think there will be more and more collectors realizing that they’d better get in there, because there are not a lot of opportunities to find things. This art is not being made any more.”
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.