The Lamentation Over the Dead Christ with Saints

The Virgin Mary cradles the dead body of Christ, whose wounds still bleed from the Crucifixion. John the Evangelist and Mary Magdalene help to support Christ’s body and press their cheeks against him in a tender representation of grief. Known as the Lamentation, this moment is not described in the Gospels but forms part of a long pictorial tradition. Behind, six haloed saints, each identifiable by their attributes, witness the scene; from left to right are Saints Dorothy, Ursula, Agnes, Margaret, Jerome and Francis. The panel’s scale and the selection of saints suggest it was used for private devotion.