The Descent from the Cross (Kreuzabnahme Christi)

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This depiction of Christ shows him lying unconscious after being taken down from the cross by five other people. The scene is based on accounts in the Gospels where Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus lower Christ to the ground after his crucifixion, as described in John 19:38-42. In Byzantine art, this topic became popular in the 9th century, while in the West it gained popularity from the 10th century onwards. The Descent from the Cross is also known as the 13th Station of the Cross. Figures not mentioned in the Gospels that are often shown supporting Christ include St. John the Evangelist, who sometimes holds up a fainting Mary, and Mary Magdalene.