The Descent from the Cross

The Descent from the Cross, an early oil painting by Northern Renaissance artist Rogier van der Weyden that is not only a supreme example of the Early Netherlandish tradition but also an extremely influential work that is regarded as the artist’s most accomplished piece. It was created about 1435–40.

This painting was originally commissioned by the Archers’ Guild of Leuven, Belgium, for the altar of their chapel. In the painting, the deposition—the moment when the dead body of Jesus is taken down from the cross—takes place within what appears to be an enclosed, boxlike space. Although the Netherlandish tradition was notable for its use of domestic interiors, here the artist’s use of space lends the overall scene a sense of intimacy. The body of Christ is gently lowered by Joseph of Arimathaea, with a beard, on the left, and by Nicodemus, dressed in sumptuous brocade, on the right. The Virgin Mary, shown traditionally in blue, swoons at the feet of St. John, who reaches out to the grieving mother. Visually, the diagonal that is formed by Mary’s limp body echoes the lifeless body of Christ above it. This poignant mirroring is also evident in the positioning of Mary’s left hand in relation to Jesus’s right hand. Also Jesus’s left arm is mirrored by the right arm of Mary Magdalene, on the far right. Rogier raises the emotional register of the scene to an intense level. The downcast eyes of the nine witnesses to Christ’s death collectively speak of an inconsolable grief.

The Descent from the Cross was acquired in the 16th century by Mary of Hungary, the sister of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, and from there passed to King Philip II of Spain. It was evacuated to Switzerland during the Spanish Civil War and then returned to the Prado Museum in Madrid, where it remains.