De kruisafname 1490 - 1503

This woodcut, titled “The Descent from the Cross”, was created by the Master of the Delbecq-Schreiber Passion. Works like this one, served as both devotional objects and as a means of communicating religious narratives to a largely illiterate public. The image depicts the emotional and physical act of Christ’s removal from the cross. The scene is dense with figures whose garments and faces are heavily stylized. Note the figure of Mary, front and center, her sorrow palpable. The artist captures a moment laden with grief, reflecting the intense emotionality that characterized religious experience and spiritual life in the late Middle Ages. The Descent from the Cross deviates from earlier, more traditional, representations through its emphasis on emotional expression. The artist here cultivates a more personal and empathetic connection between the viewer and the suffering of Christ and his mourners. The composition invites us to contemplate the human dimensions of faith, loss, and redemption.