1633_Descent_from_Cross_Rembrandt.txt

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Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn 1606 – 1669

The Descent from the Cross
oil on panel (90 × 65 cm) — c. 1632 - 1633
Alte Pinakothek, Munich

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn biography

This work is linked to John 19:38

Joseph of Arimathea is helping Jesus down from the cross. The man in the blue suit assisting him, is a self-portrait. The man watching the action is Nicodemus, a person mentioned only in the Gospel of John.

There is some similarity with the Descent from the Cross by PP Rubens, but Rembrandt’s work is more serene than the dramatic tableau by Rubens. 
The painting is part of a series of passion paintings that Rembrandt made for Frederik Hendrik, the stadtholder. Ref. The Resurrection.