Torzo Ukřižovaného z Polné

The Crucified Christ in Polná is a work that is well known in art historical literature. In spite of this, until now it has not been successfully situated in the context of works of art in the wider region of Central Europe. In view of the substantial damage to the sculpture, possibilities for formal analysis are limited, but nevertheless the work is here compared with other sculptures both in the Czech lands (the Crucified Christ in the church of St. James in Brno) and abroad (in the Rhineland area and in eastern France). Thanks to our current state of knowledge, it is possible to date the work to the last third of the 13th century on the basis of this comparison. At that time Polná was an important estate which, in addition, belonged to a family with extensive contacts with the ruling Přemyslid dynasty. The activity of Jan of Polná and his successors in commissioning works of art suggest the possibility that this work was created specifically for the parish church in Polná, which, with certain interruptions, was administered by the Teutonic Knights. This hypothesis is also supported by the circumstances in which the work was found and its condition.