Wooden altar cross with Christ, Italian area, 18th century

A carved boxwood Corpus Christi placed on a wooden cross with an ebonised wooden base.
The figure of the Saviour is anatomically studied: the musculature and venous system are well emphasised, especially in the arms, which are open and stretched diagonally. The hands are slightly ajar: the right hand has the nail, while the left one has only the stigmata hole. The head is bent towards the left shoulder, facing upwards; the soft hair falls over the shoulders, the eyes are open and turned towards the sky and the mouth is ajar. The feet of Christ are overlapped and joined together, although the head of the nail is missing. The private parts are covered by a short loincloth with a side drape, supported by a cord visible only on the right side.
At the top of the cross, separated from the figure of Christ, there is a rectangular cartouche with a nail at the top and partly rolled up, with the Titulus Crucis I.N.R.I. (Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudeorum, which literally translates to 'Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews').
The base depicts the scene of Original Sin with Eve handing the apple to Adam, separated by a tree around which the figure of the Serpent is coiled.

Item condition grading: **** good, presence of previous attack by xylophagous insects.