Collection Publications: Reflections of the Passion (y1936-4)

There is no biblical source for the event shown here: Christ is in the tomb, in a grave hewn out of rock, attended by the Virgin and Saint John who clasp his hands in farewell. Although dead, Christ is shown standing; this detail is not realistic, but serves a purpose. If, as the panel's size suggests, it was part of a predella, or the substructure of an altarpiece, the artist may have wished to give maximum visibility to Christ's body, thereby stressing the symbolic presence of his body at the altar.