Christ on the Cross

An ivory "Jansenist" Christ in a gilt carved wood frame decorated with parcloses and flowers surmounted by a stylized acanthus.

The Christs whose arms tighten until they are stretched vertically give the feeling of being able to accommodate only a part of Humanity.
Jansenism advocated that the Grace was granted only to a minority of the Elect.
Jansenism has the will to adhere strictly to Saint Augustin's doctrine on the grace conceived as the negation of human freedom, to do good and to obtain salvation.
According to them, this would only be possible through the divine grace.
The Jansenists were also distinguished by their moral rigorism and their hostility towards the Society of Jesus (Jesuits).

Louis XIV period.
France.
17th century.