The Lamentation at the Foot of the Cross

Christ's lifeless body lies at the foot of the Cross, supported by the Virgin Mary; she gazes towards heaven in deep sorrow. Mary Magdalene clings to Christ's left arm, unable to contain her grief, and Saint John the Evangelist buries his face in his red drapery. Two other men are still crucified: on the right is the 'good thief', who recognised Christ as the son of God and was saved; the 'bad thief', who was damned, has his back to us. The city of Jerusalem appears in the background.

This work may have been part of a series exploring the themes of the Passion (Christ's torture and crucifixion). Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo was much influenced by Rembrandt, whose painting of the same subject, now...