The Lamentation of Christ

Here the artist ‘zoomed in’ on the faces of the dead Christ and his grieving disciples. The painting is thus both intimate and confrontational. This made it easier for believers to identify with Christ’s suffering and the Virgin’s sorrow. The man on the right holding the nails from the cross is Nicodemus; it is probably also a portrait of the person who commissioned the painting.

c. 1510 - c. 1515

Oil on panel

35.5 x 42.9cm

SK-A-856

Image and text courtesy of Rijksmuseum, 2019