The Lamentation

Netherlandish

ca. 1550 · Oil on copper alloy · Robert Lehman Collection

This poignant image depicts Christ’s limp, dead body surrounded by mourners, including his mother, Mary Magdalen with her jar of ointment, and John the Evangelist. Both support and frame are made of metal; a hook at the structure’s top facilitates display and its size suggests that the object was easily transportable. The picture’s dimensions and delicate brushwork invite close viewing and emphasize the nearness required for the devotional aid to achieve its intended impact. Paint losses are scattered across the image, muting its emotional content, while a discolored varnish further obscures finer details like the buildings in the background or the delicate threading of the Mary Magdalen’s garment.

Artist

Netherlandish

Date

ca. 1550

Medium

Oil on copper alloy

Culture

Netherlandish

Department

Robert Lehman Collection

Credit line

Robert Lehman Collection, 1975