Several men carry the body on a long cloth.
Bible in art · John
Christ Carried to the Tomb
Rembrandt · c. 1645
National Gallery of Art, Washington
A small etching of about 1645, drawn with a light, quick needle and a few touches of drypoint, and signed “Rembrandt”.
A group of men carries the body on a cloth toward a dark opening in the rock at the left, with mourners walking behind. On the hilltop far behind them small figures stand where they have come from.
From the text
- “In the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid” (John 19:41)
- “The tomb was nearby” (John 19:42)
- A tomb “cut into the rock” (Luke 23:53)
The artist’s own
- A wild cliff of rock and trees
- The body carried on a cloth between the bearers
Details
The bearers
Leading the way
Two men lead the way; the first carries a wooden box by its handles.
The tomb
A dark opening in the rock waits at the left.
On the hill
Tiny figures stand on the hilltop behind.
Rembrandt van Rijn, Dutch, 1606–1669. National Gallery of Art, Washington (Rosenwald Collection, 1943.3.7176) · Etching, with touches of drypoint · NGA Open Access: "Images of these works are available free of charge for any use, commercial or non-commercial, under Creative Commons Zero (CC0)." (NGA open data: published_images.csv openaccess = 1)