Abstract

This contribution traces the rise of the small wooden crucifix as an object of personal devotion in Italy during the late Middle Ages and the early Renaissance. First some large examples that were located in churches are considered, after which the iconographic evidence is assessed. The metal cross as a personal attribute of saints is generally replaced in the course of the 15th century by a wooden crucifix. This occurrence seems to have conformed to a historical reality although only four crucifixes that can be associated with historical individuals have survived.