The Virgin and Saint John

This tapestry is a fragment of a larger hanging. Since both Saint John the Evangelist and the faltering Virgin look upward, it is probable that this was from the left side of a tapestry of the Crucifixion. It is not known for whom the original tapestry was made as Christ's Passion was a popular theme during the 15th and 16th centuries and was used by many artists to depict religious devotion. The basis for depicting John and Mary together this way comes from the Gospel according to St. John, where Jesus notes the two standing nearby and says to them that John should henceforth take his place as Mary's son (John 19:26-27).