십자가에서 내려지는 그리스도(The Descent from the Cross). Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal Antwerpen. 안트웨르펜(Antwerpen)

십자가에서 내려지는 그리스도(The Descent from the Cross).

Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal Antwerpen.

(Cathedral Of Our Lady. 성모마리아 대성당)

안트웨르펜(Antwerpen). 벨기에(Belgium)

dekathedraal.be

‘The descent from the cross’

Peter Paul Rubens

Although painted a few years after The raising of the cross, Rubens to some extent made use of another style for The descent from the cross (1611-1614). The sense of clarity and serenity are greater here. The light shines more softly. The positions and movements of the figures are more controlled. Overall, the whole painting looks more classical. Nevertheless, because of its stylish grandeur, monumental character (central panel: 421 x 311 cm, side panels: 421 x 153 cm), diagonal composition, and sense of the dramatic and decorative, this triptych is a paragon of baroque art.
on the central panel eight people carefully take the lifeless Christ from the cross. Starting from the top and moving down, there are two anonymous helpers, then Joseph of Arimathea on the left and Nicodemus on the right; below are Mary, who stretches out her arms toward her son, John, in his fiery red garments, and at the very bottom Mary Cleophas and Mary Magdalen. Against the flat, dark background the figures light up three-dimensionally, as it were. Together they bear the body of Christ, which they have taken up in a white shroud - a reference to the Corpus Christi and the Eucharist.

The bearing of Christ is a theme repeated throughout this triptych. The left panel shows Mary, who is expecting, visiting her also-pregnant cousin Elizabeth, who will bring John the Baptist into the world. The two women are accompanied by their husbands, Joseph and Zacharias. on the right panel Mary has just handed the infant Jesus to the high priest Simeon. Joseph kneels before Simeon and holds in his hand two doves intended as offerings. The reverse of the side panels refers to the medieval legend of Saint Christopher, a name that literally means ‘Christ bearer’. Supporting himself on a stick, Christopher must exert himself to the extreme in order to be able to carry the unexpectedly heavy child Jesus on his back. To the right, a hermit shows him the way in the dark with a lamp. Saint Christopher was the patron saint of the Antwerp musketeers, the military guild that ordered The descent from the cross from Rubens in 1611 for their altar in the Our Lady’s Cathedral. Which immediately explains the presence of the saint and all the allusions to the bearing of Christ in this triptych.

Left panel ‘The descent from the cross’ (Peter Paul Rubens)

Central panel ‘The descent from the cross’ (Peter Paul Rubens)

Right panel ‘The descent from the cross’ (Peter Paul Rubens)

Left panel ‘The descent from the cross’ (Peter Paul Rubens)

Central panel ‘The descent from the cross’ (Peter Paul Rubens)

Right panel ‘The descent from the cross’ (Peter Paul Rubens)

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