The Crucifixion

This picture evokes a sense of sorrow. Weeping figures surround Jesus on the cross, including the flying angels and the Virgin Mary on the left. The distinctive lines, especially on Jesus's body, show the influence of Byzantine art. This was art from the Eastern Roman Empire, an are now part of Turkey. The soldiers on the right have had their eyes deliberately scatched out at some point in the painting's history. This is one of the artworks presented by the Liverpool Royal Institution. Liverpool’s economic development grew directly from Britain’s involvement with transatlantic slavery: the kidnapping, enslavement and forced migration of people from West Africa to the Americas and many to the Caribbean. Many members of the Royal Institution made their fortunes directly through the trade or indirectly through the wider economy. This wealth was largely how they were able to bring rare art and treasures, such as this, to the city.