The Descent from the Cross

The story

“The Descent from the Cross” was painted in 1612–1614 for Antwerp Cathedral. It was commissioned by the marksmen of the city guild, whose patron saint is Saint Christopher. Peter Paul Rubens painted an altarpiece in three parts.

In the centre of “The Descent from the Cross” several people carefully lower the dead body of Christ on a large white sheet. A man at the top holds the sheet in his teeth. Below, John in red receives the body, and Mary stretches out her hands. The wings show scenes with Mary and the infant Jesus.

The name Christopher means “the one who carries Christ”. That is why Peter Paul Rubens painted in each part someone who carries Christ: Mary, who is expecting him, the old man in the temple who holds him in his arms, and the people who lower his body. The white sheet and the pale body shine in the middle of the dark painting.

This painting is quieter and more tender than The Raising of the Cross. Today the two hang opposite each other in the cathedral. In the novel “A Dog of Flanders” the poor boy Nello dreams of seeing them, and at the end he dies before them together with his dog Patrasche.

Today “The Descent from the Cross” is in the Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp. Peter Paul Rubens showed not only grief, but also the care with which people carry one another.