The Descent from the Cross

JPG • 1784 × 2250 PX • 1.6 MB
Curatorial Notes

This panel and it’s companion, The Flight into Egypt, were originally part of a series of scenes from the life of Jesus that constitute Bernardino Butinone’s best-known works. The first painting depicts the Holy Family fleeing to Egypt as part of Mary and Joseph’s attempt to protect the newborn Jesus from being murdered by King Herod, who viewed the divine child as a threat to his power. The second painting shows Jesus’s body being lowered from the cross into the arms of his grieving mother and followers. Born in Treviglio in Lombardy in Northern Italy, Butinone worked primarily for patrons in and around Milan. His distinctive, eccentric style is characterized by expressive figures and highly imaginative descriptions of landscape settings.

Artwork Identification

Title The Descent from the Cross
Title (PT) A Descida da Cruz
Title (ES) El Descendimiento de la Cruz
Artist Bernardino Jacobi Butinone
Artist Bio Bernardino Butinone (Italian, c. 1450-before 1510)
Date c. 1485
Work Type Painting

Location & Collection

License Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0
Ars Sancta