Capital - The Descent from the Cross and The Entombment of Christ

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Pontius Pilate grants Joseph of Arimathea permission to bury Jesus, with him supporting Christ's body as Nicodemus takes pliers to pry off his left arm nailed to the cross. The Virgin Mary holds her son's right arm tenderly while raising it to her face, very damaged and on the left side. To the right, John stands alone, bringing his hand to his face in a gesture of mourning. The Entombment immediately follows The Descent from the Cross. Joseph of Arimathea lays Jesus wrapped in a shroud at Christ's head, while Nicodemus places him at his feet in a sarcophagus. The Virgin Mary and Saint John stand behind, weeping. The Musée des Augustins' collection of Romanesque sculpture is made up mainly of remnants from the three most significant religious buildings in Toulouse: the Monastery of La Daurade, the Collegiate Church of Saint Sernin, and Saint Etienne Cathedral. The clerics responsible for these buildings' upkeep choose to live as a community, leading to the construction of functional convent buildings around large cloisters decorated with simple or elaborate sculpture. As the capital of a powerful county and a rapidly growing economic, political, and religious center, Toulouse enjoyed a context highly favorable to the birth of an original art movement in the 11th and 12th centuries. The quality, diversity, and exceptional longevity of this movement place Toulouse firmly among the major centers of Romanesque art. Thus, the works in the Musée des Augustins are fundamental milestones for the history of sculpture.