Lamentation of Christ

The lifeless body of Jesus Christ, taken off the cross after his crucifixion, rests in his mother Mary’s lap. John the Evangelist holds his head. Mary Magdalene, with an ointment jar, looks at his feet—according to the Gospel of Saint John, she had once anointed Jesus’s feet with expensive perfume. The angular folds and gestures in this painting, as well as the bold colors, are typical of late Gothic wood sculpture and greatly influenced the Expressionist artists of the early 20th century. This sculpture is remarkable for its large amount of original coloring.