Briefly describe the effect the Gero Crucifix had on Medieval German art.

Gero Crucifix or Gero Cross:

* oldest large sculpture of the crucified Christ north of the Alps, and has always been displayed in Cologne Cathedral in Germany

* commissioned by Gero, Archbishop of Cologne

* carved in oak, and painted and partially gilded - both have been renewed. The halo and cross-pieces are original, but the Baroque surround was added in 1683. The figure is 187 cm high, and the span of the arms is 165 cm.

Gero Cross is important to medieval art for the unique way it depicts Christ

* appears to be the earliest, and finest, of a number of life-size German wood sculpted crucifixions that appeared in the late Ottonian or early Romanesque period

* the first monumental depiction of the crucified Christ on the Cross and the first monumental sculpture dating from this period

* appears to be the oldest Western depiction of a dead Christ on the cross; puts extra emphasis on the suffering of Jesus Christ's crucifixion, with the slumped head, lifeless body, and closed eyes