The present ivory crucifixion group, with its minutely observed details of human anatomy, displays a marked dependency on the work of Georg Petel (1601/2-1634). Throughout his career Petel returned repeatedly to the subject of the crucifixion, numerous versions of which he executed in ivory (for example see Feuchtmayr and Schädler, op. cit., figs. 3,5,6,43,45). The majority of these were inspired by a type invented by Rubens and also emulated by van Dyck. Although the sculptor of the present group may well belong to the generation which followed Petel's, it is his rendering of the folds of skin, the tendrils of hair, and the veins on the legs of his subjects which places him firmly in the tradition of the older master.