Crucifix with Jesus of Nazareth

Crucifixion H 44, Jesus of Nazareth H 95.

On the other side: an oval with IHS, a Christogram, surrounded by rays.

Central Lithuania

Vincas Svirskis (1835–1916) was one of the most famous and distinctive Lithuanian cross-carvers. He was born into a poor family in the village of Glitėnai in the Panevėžys district. With no home of his own, he became a wandering craftsman, who worked in clients’ houses. Works by him can be found in the Panevėžys and Kėdainiai regions. He is thought to have carved more than 250 crosses from oak, up to five metres high. Svirskis stood out from other cross-carvers by creating his own type of cross, which others tried to imitate, although unsuccessfully. He carved haut-relief or bas-relief images of saints, and even whole compositions, on both sides of a piece of oak, and surrounded the centre of the crosspiece with carved wooden rays. With their images all carved out of the same piece of oak, his crosses constitute a unified piece of sculptural and architectural decorative forms. Svirskis was influenced by Baroque Church art, but he did not follow it blindly, and did not copy Baroque works, but used their decorativeness and ornamentation in his own way. The Baroque influence is seen in the wavy lines of the hair and the clothes of the figures, the heads of chubby angels, puffy clouds, and convex and concave forms. The expressiveness was emphasised by colour, but that has not survived.

This cross made by Svirskis in 1895 is distinguished by its simple and elementary forms. The moderate decoration is limited to the heightened rays emphasising the crosspiece, on which is attached a small sculpture of the Crucified Christ. There is a relief of Jesus of Nazareth on the shaft. He is dressed in a long robe, the hands are tied across the chest and a crown of thorns sits on the head. The face is long, serene, and framed by wavy hair falling down to the shoulders.

Text author Skaidrė Urbonienė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album HEAVEN AND BEYOND (2016). Compiler Dalia Vasiliūnienė. Text authors Dalia Vasiliūnienė, Skaidrė Urbonienė
Expositions: “Heaven and Beyond. Works of religious art from the collection of Rolandas Valiūnas and the law firm Valiunas Ellex“, 31 May–24 September 2016, Church Heritage Museum, Vilnius (curators Dalia Vasiliūnienė, Skaidrė Urbonienė)

Crucifixion H 44, Jesus of Nazareth H 95.

On the other side: an oval with IHS, a Christogram, surrounded by rays.

Central Lithuania

Vincas Svirskis (1835–1916) was one of the most famous and distinctive Lithuanian cross-carvers. He was born into a poor family in the village of Glitėnai in the Panevėžys district. With no home of his own, he became a wandering craftsman, who worked in clients’ houses. Works by him can be found in the Panevėžys and Kėdainiai regions. He is thought to have carved more than 250 crosses from oak, up to five metres high. Svirskis stood out from other cross-carvers by creating his own type of cross, which others tried to imitate, although unsuccessfully. He carved haut-relief or bas-relief images of saints, and even whole compositions, on both sides of a piece of oak, and surrounded the centre of the crosspiece with carved wooden rays. With their images all carved out of the same piece of oak, his crosses constitute a unified piece of sculptural and architectural decorative forms. Svirskis was influenced by Baroque Church art, but he did not follow it blindly, and did not copy Baroque works, but used their decorativeness and ornamentation in his own way. The Baroque influence is seen in the wavy lines of the hair and the clothes of the figures, the heads of chubby angels, puffy clouds, and convex and concave forms. The expressiveness was emphasised by colour, but that has not survived.

This cross made by Svirskis in 1895 is distinguished by its simple and elementary forms. The moderate decoration is limited to the heightened rays emphasising the crosspiece, on which is attached a small sculpture of the Crucified Christ. There is a relief of Jesus of Nazareth on the shaft. He is dressed in a long robe, the hands are tied across the chest and a crown of thorns sits on the head. The face is long, serene, and framed by wavy hair falling down to the shoulders.

Text author Skaidrė Urbonienė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album HEAVEN AND BEYOND (2016). Compiler Dalia Vasiliūnienė. Text authors Dalia Vasiliūnienė, Skaidrė Urbonienė
Expositions: “Heaven and Beyond. Works of religious art from the collection of Rolandas Valiūnas and the law firm Valiunas Ellex“, 31 May–24 September 2016, Church Heritage Museum, Vilnius (curators Dalia Vasiliūnienė, Skaidrė Urbonienė)