Calvary with a Carthusian Monk

Also known as: The Crucifixion with a Carthusian Monk

About the Artwork

Jean de Beaumetz became the official court painter to the Burgundian duke, Philip the Bold, in 1376. Between 1389 and 1395 he created devotional paintings for the monks’ cells at the Chartreuse de Champmol, the monastery founded by Philip and his wife Margaret to house the ducal tombs. This panel, originally one of 26, is only one of two that have survived; the second is preserved in the Louvre in Paris. The Carthusians were intensely devoted to the Passion of Christ; particularly bloody images of the Crucifixion often decorated their cells. Isolated from one another, the monks contemplated the sacrifice of Christ (emphasized here by the presence of a Carthusian monk at the foot of the cross) creating an empathetic connection with the suffering of the Virgin who faints in the arms of the two Marys. Saint John the Evangelist, on the right, bows his head in sorrow. The punched decoration in the gold background represents the Trees of Life and Knowledge, emphasizing the biblical connection between Adam and Christ.

Provenance

Private collection, France -1964: Wildenstein & Co., New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art 1964-: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Exhibition history

Golden Anniversary of Acquisitions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 10-October 16, 1966). Treasures of Medieval France. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 16, 1966-January 29, 1967). Dukes and Angels: Art from the Court of Burgundy (1364-1419). Musée des Beaux-Arts, Dijon, Dijon, France (May 27-September 15, 2004); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 24, 2004-January 9, 2005). Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. National Museum of Bavaria, Munich, Germany (May 10-September 16, 2007); J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA (October 30, 2007-January 20, 2008); Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN (February 13-June 7, 2009). Johan Maelwael from Guelders. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands (organizer) (October 6, 2017-January 7, 2018). Turn of Eras: Hildesheim as a European Center around 1400. Dom-Museum Hildesheim, Hildesheim, Germany (organizer) (September 26, 2019-February 2, 2020). Spectrum of Desire: Love Sex and Gender in the Middle Ages. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (organizer) (October 16, 2025-March 29, 2026) https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/spectrum-of-desire-love-sex-and-gender-in-the-middle-ages.

Quick Overview

Artist: Jean de Beaumetz (French, c. 1335–1396)
Date: 1389–95
Medium: oil on oak panel
Dimensions: Framed: 63.5 x 52.5 x 6.7 cm (25 x 20 11/16 x 2 5/8 in.); Unframed: 56.6 x 45.7 cm (22 5/16 x 18 in.)
Type: Painting
Classification: Painting
Department: Medieval Art
Credit line: Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
Accession no.: 1964.454

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.