FLEMISH MASTER (16TH CENTURY)

Oil on oak panel. The painting depicts the deposition of Christ from the cross. His mother, the Virgin Mary, stands in a slight crouch, holding him and laying one hand gently across his body. She is garbed in a black robe with gold trim and a white hood. The expression on her face is peaceful, as are those of the figures standing in the background, John the Evangelist and Joseph of Arimathea. The apostle is portrayed as a young man with long hair, dressed in a red robe. Joseph is an older man in a yellow robe and blue cloak supporting the dead Christ from the rear. The Evangelist gently embraces the Virgin Mary in a gesture of reassurance. Jesus is draped with a loincloth and crowned with thorns. His head has fallen to his right shoulder, his face is a sickly green, and his body emaciated. His long arms lie freely along the body and blood oozes from the wounds caused by nails and Longinus’ spear. In the background, we see a cross with a ladder and the plaque INRI (Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum - Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews). The composition relates to a series of similar works by Hugo van der Goes, Dirk Bouts, and other Dutch painters of the 15th century.