Matteo Facchi

A contribution to the catalogue of the Master of Santa Maria Maggiore. A wooden Crucifix in Villacampagna di Soncino The article analyzes a wooden Crucifix in the parish church of San Bernardo at Villacampagna, and advances a possible attribution to the so called Master of Santa Maria Maggiore. The characteristics of the artifact – and specifically its adjustable neck and arms – suggest it was probably destined to the peculiar ceremony of the “Unnailing”, which was held on Good Friday, mainly in the churches of the Franciscan Observance. Hence the hypothesis that the statue might originally be from the suppressed Convent of the Franciscan Observance of Santissima Annunciata in Soncino, not far from Villacampagna. A fact supporting the proposed attribution is that the commission for the Crucifix – which would be the only known work by the artist from Novara in the Cremona area – was endorsed by Blessed Pacifico da Cerano, the founder of the convent.