Descent from the Cross

Finished in 1435 by Rogier van der Weyden, descent from the Cross around 1435 for a crossbowmen's guild in Leuven. Christ's body is lowered from the cross while the Virgin Mary swoons in a pose that mirrors her son's. Ten figures crowd the shallow, golden space, their grief rendered with extraordinary emotional intensity.

The compressed composition eliminates any sense of landscape or deep space. Figures seem pressed against the picture plane like sculptured relief. Every face expresses a different shade of grief: Mary Magdalene wringing her hands, Joseph of Arimathea supporting Christ's arm, Nicodemus holding his feet.

The painting's fame spread across Europe through copies and adaptations. The Prado displays the original, one of the most influential paintings of the 15th century.