Rogier van der Weyden Paints Descent from the Cross

1435

The Flemish master completed his monumental altarpiece for the Leuven crossbowmen's guild, depicting Christ's body being lowered tenderly from the cross while the Virgin collapses in a parallel swoon that mirrors her son's descent. The painting compressed real human grief into a shallow golden box with an emotional power that reportedly made viewers weep on sight. Northern European painting had found its devastating emotional register.