Embodying Devotion: Multisensory Encounters with Donatello'sCrucifixin S. Croce

Abstract

The reception of art is often described in ocularcentric terms, but all five senses could engage devotional objects in late medieval and early modern Europe. This article explores this phenomenon by considering a wooden crucifix with movable arms made by Donatello for the Franciscan church of S. Croce in Florence in the early fifteenth century. It makes new suggestions about the work's original location, its possible patrons, and its functions and reception, especially during the rituals associated with Good Friday. It also reflects on the challenges scholars face when taking a multisensory approach to premodern visual and material culture.

Epistemologies of Touch in Early Modern Holy Autopsies

“…Key works include, but are not limited to, Classen, 2005 and 2012; Gowing; Harvey, 2003 and 2011; Johnson, 2008; Maurette, 2018a. There is also a growing literature on skin: Duden; Reinarz and Siena; “La pelle umana”; Savoia; Murphy; and on hands: Gadebusch Bondio; Maurette, 2018a and 2018b; Rowe, 1997; Rowe, 1999, 24–51; Roberts et al On the haptic experience of objects, see Randolph; Johnson, 2020.…”