Carmelo Soto Toledo
Puerto Rican, born 1906
Crucified Christ / Cristo Crucificado, 2000
Polychromed wood
13 ¾ x 7 ½ x 2 ½ inches
Lent from a private Florida collection

Symbolizing Christ's victory over death and the subsequent redemption of man, the crucifix serves as a reminder of these basic tenets of Christianity. Based on the New Testament Gospels, the Crucified Christ is most often represented with his hands and feet nailed to the cross at the time of his death. The blood symbolizes his wounds inflicted by the Romans and the inscription, INRI (“Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews”), represents the sign that Pontius Pilate ordered to be placed on the cross.