José Aragón was one of the most important santeros (saint makers) in northern New Mexico during the first half of the nineteenth century. For this sculpture, Aragón carved a sinewy Christ, whose muscles have been stretched to their limits, and then covered the body with gesso-coated muslin. The result is a composition animated by the sense of skin stretched over living bone and muscle racked with pain. The raised head is unusual, but its oval shape, delicate features, and almost-smiling mouth are Aragón trademarks. Red, green, and white on the loincloth combine with black detailing to impart a sense of majesty and authority to this tortured figure.

from Snite Museum of Art, Selected Works: Snite Museum of Art (Notre Dame, 2005)