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Stained Glass
German, 15th Century
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art
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All of the Gospels agree that Jesus died fairly quickly and that a man named Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate and requested the body. 1 We know, therefore, that by the evening hours of Good Friday the body of Jesus had been removed from the cross and hurriedly prepared for burial.
We also know, from all four Gospels, that members of Jesus’ family, including His mother, and several disciples were at Calvary during His death agony. Therefore, it is reasonable to infer that they were also there for the removal of the body.
With these basic details in mind artists have imagined the unfolding of this tragic scene, in images known by several names: The Deposition, the Descent from the Cross, The Body of Jesus Taken Down from the Cross, all are valid titles for the same subject.
Closely related to this subject is the Pieta, in which the body of Jesus is laid on His mother’s lap as she sits on the ground. This in itself has a rich image history, but it is not the subject that we are considering here, however. Here we are looking only at those images that reflect the actual removal of the body from the cross.
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Basilius, Deposition
From The Melisande Psalter
Eastern Mediterranean (Jerusalem), 1131-1143
London, British Library
MS Egerton 1139, fol. 8v
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The
characters with which artists have peopled their images of the subject always include Mary, St.
John and Joseph of Arimathea, always imagined as a mature, even elderly,
man. Others may be Mary Magdalene and
the other holy woman who followed Jesus, some of whom are named in the Gospels
as being present at Calvary. There is
almost always at least one additional man, helping with the heavy task of
removing the lifeless body from the cross to which it is nailed.
Drawing inspiration from Byzantine icons, the early images are fairly serene. The emotions are there, especially in the person of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who reaches out to hold a hand or to kiss the dead face.
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Deposition, From Picture Bible
French (St.Omer, Abbey of St. Bertin), c.1190-1200
The Hague, Koninklijk Bibliotheek
MS KB 76 F 5, fol. 20v
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Crucifixion and Deposition From Psalter of St. Louis and Blanche of Castille French (Paris), c.1225 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Arsenal 1186, fol. 24 |
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Deposition From a Psalter Italian (Bologna), 1275-1300 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Smith-Lesouef 21, fol. 22 |
However, as time and techniques advanced the emotions became stronger, Mary now prays or faints from grief. Mary Magdalene too becomes more prominent and more emotive. Probably due to her long standing interpretation as the sinful woman who bathed Christ’s feet with her tears and dried them with her hair, she is often seen at the feet of the corpse, touching or even kissing them.
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From Livre d'images de Madame Marie
Belgian (Hainaut), c.1285-1290
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Nouvelle acquisition francaise 16252, fol. 40
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Simone Martini, Deposition Italian, 1333 Antwerp, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten |
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Rogier van der Weyden, Deposition
Belgian, c.1435
Madrid, Museo del Prado
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Fra Angelico, Deposition Altarpiece (Pala di Santa Trinita) Italian, 1437-1440 Florence, Museo di San Marco |
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Rogier van der Weyden, the Abegg Triptych
Belgian, c.1445
Riggisberg (Switzerland), Abegg-Stiftung
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Dieric Bouts the Elder, Passion Alarpiece (Center) Dutch, c.1455 Granada, Museo de la Capilla Real |
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Jean Bourdichon, Deposition From Hours of Frederic of AragonFrench (Tours), 1501-1504 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 10532, fol. 198 |
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Il Sodoma, Deposition Italian, 1510-1513 Siena, Pinacoteca Nazionale |
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Jan Gossart, Deposition Flemish, c.1520 St. Petersburg, State Hermitage Museum |
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Il Rosso Fiorentino, Deposition Italian, 1521 Volterra, Cathedral |
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Jacopo Pontormo, Deposition
Italian, c.1528
Florence, Church of Santa Felicita, Cappella Capponi
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Peter Paul Rubens, Deposition
Central panel of Triptych
Belgian, 1612-1614
Antwerp, Vrouwenkahedraal
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Peter Paul Rubens, Deposition
Belgian, 1617
Lille, Musee des Beaux-Arts
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Peter Paul Rubens, Deposition Belgian, c.1620 Valenciennes, Musee des Beaux-Arts |
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Rembrandt, Deposition
Dutch, 1633
Munich, Alte Pinacotek
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Rembrandt, Deposition
Dutch, 1634
St. Petersburg, State Hermitage Museum
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Charles LeBrun, Deposition French, c.1642-1645 London, Victoria and Albert Museum |
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Laurent de la Hyre, Deposition French, 1655 Rouen, Musee des Beaux-Arts
LaHyre rotates the view in this unusual
interpretation of the subject.
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Gaspar de Crayer, Deposition Belgian, c.1660 Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum |
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Jean Jouvenet, Deposition
French, 1697
Paris, Musee du Louvre
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After about the middle of the eighteenth century this strongly Rubenseque theme weakened and many different interpretations of the subject appeared.
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Giandomenico Tiepolo, Deposition
Italian, 1772
Madrid, Museo del Prado
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Baron Jean-Baptiste Regnault
French, 1789
Versailles, Musee National du Chateau
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Eugene Deveria French, 1835 Pau, Musee des Beau-Arts |
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Arnold Boecklin, Deposition
Swiss, 1871-1874
Berlin, Nationalgalerie
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Theodore Chasseriau, Deposition
French, 1852-1855
Paris, Musee d'Orsay
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James Tissot, Deposition
From The Life of Christ
French, 1886-1894
New York, Brooklyn Museum
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Eric Gill, The Body of Jesus is Taken From the
Cross and Laid in Mary's Bosom
English, 1913-1918
London, Westminster Cathedral
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© M. Duffy, 2016
___________________________________________________________________
1. Matthew 27:57-59; Mark 15:42-45; Luke 23:50-53; John 19:38.
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition© 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition© 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
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