During Lent 2016 the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula housed the work 'Crucifixion' by Guy Reid, the twelfth of fourteen Stations of the Cross located around London.
Station ​Twelve
Jesus dies on the cross
The Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula, HM Tower of London
Guy Reid, Crucifixion, 2007. Life-size (183 cm x 180 cm), lime wood
The Romans crucified alleged criminals not only to torture but humiliate them. It was a spectacle, much like the beheadings of purported traitors and heretics in and around the Tower, especially during the 16th century. The thought of Christ’s ignominious execution couldn’t have been far from the minds of martyrs like John Fisher and Thomas More as they faced the executioner’s axe on nearby Tower Hill, or of Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, and Jane Grey, executed within the Tower. The bodies of all five are interred in the Chapel. Guy Reid honours this history with an unflinching Christ, who retains his dignity even as he stands utterly naked, pierced by stigmata. Carved from limewood, the work recalls Renaissance sculpture, while retaining a fiercely modern visage. In fact, the face is a self-portrait. ‘I wanted to emphasize Christ's full and particular humanity,’ says Reid, ‘which I share and we all share.’
Details of all fourteen artworks can be found here.
