A man beside the cross holds up a burning torch.
Bible in art · Luke
The Descent from the Cross by Torchlight
Rembrandt · 1654
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Twenty years after his large Descent from the Cross, also at this verse, Rembrandt etched this small night version in 1654, one of several night scenes of the same size from those years.
There are no rays from the sky here; the light comes from a torch held up beside the cross. Men lower the body on a sheet, another reaches up to take it, and in front a bier with a shroud is made ready.
From the text
- Joseph of Arimathea “came and removed His body” (John 19:38)
- “When it was evening” Joseph came (Matthew 27:57)
- “Wrapped it in a linen cloth” (Luke 23:53)
The artist’s own
- A burning torch in the dark — the Gospels say only that it was evening
- A bier with a shroud spread out in the foreground
- A man in a tall hat and rich robe watching at the right
Details
The torch
Lowered
The body comes down on a long sheet held from the cross.
Reaching up
A man stretches up both hands to receive it.
The bier
In front, a bier with a shroud laid ready.
Rembrandt van Rijn, Dutch, 1606–1669. National Gallery of Art, Washington (Rosenwald Collection, 1943.3.7162) · Etching and 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)