Rubens: Descent from the Cross

Peter Paul Rubens: Descent from the Cross

‘Hymn of Simeon’

Lord, now lettest
thou thy servant depart in peace
according to thy word.
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
To be a light to lighten the Gentiles
and to be the glory of thy people Israel.
(Lk. 2:29-32)

Have you seen the ‘Raising of the Cross‘ in the northern transept first? Then you notice that this painting is easier to read, especially for the central panel: fewer characters, less hustle and bustle, and a setting that is intensely sad but more intimate.

Three to four years have elapsed since Rubens painted the previous work; here the master shows he has more experience. Art critics describe this work as ‘cooler’ and ‘classical baroque’.

Let us return to the time when this event takes place, it’s Good Friday, at dusk.

“It is finished” (John 19:30).

The intense suffering is over, but the sorrow lingers on; only the most faithful (the women!) stayed present.

In Jerusalem, the sun sets at 7 pm in April; this according to the 2024 ephemerides and current UTC / GMT+2 IST Israel Standard Time (the midday sun is at 12:40 p.m.).

On this location, the painting has the correct natural lighting, falling from top right. It hangs above the historical altar of the Arquebusiers or Culverin Guards who commissioned it. If you hang this work against another wall, it will look unnatural.

This event will still have the last streaks of daylight: now that the twilight is beginning, there is no longer room for harsh sunlight. We see a dark background from which the characters come forward. At the back we observe that helpers are holding the cloth or clenching it between their teeth. In front of them we recognize High Councillor Nicodemus and the tomb owner Joseph of Arimathea. In the foreground, we see the women and the beloved disciple John, you can’t miss him with his red robe.

The shadows are now formed by the soft accents on the silk and velvet dresses of Mary Magdalene (and her blond hair) and Mary Cleopas (and the single tear on her pink cheek). A common interpretation of Mother Mary’s complexion is that of a corpse colour, mentally close to death.

Compared to the other painting, the artist applies different techniques here: he again uses the diagonal composition for dynamism and now positions the characters around it in an elongated ellipse. Each individual is characterized by his or her coloured surface patch. Hard shadows have been replaced by slightly shimmering transitions in the women’s dresses.

Because of the balanced composition, this central panel was suitable for reproduction as a black-and-white engraving; and so the ‘Descent from the Cross’ became popular worldwide, at least in that part of the world that was under Spanish rule.

Now look more closely at the side panels: in these you can see the light shining mainly in the background.
The ‘Visitation‘ puts Mary in front, flanked/supported by the maid who looks at us. Mary is respectfully touched by Elisabeth. Joseph and Zacharias are the supporting male actors in this story, slightly overshadowed by the ladies. Above them, you see the cloudy sky and also below, with a through view on the Jordan Valley.

In the depiction of the temple in the ‘Presentation of Jesus‘, there is a soft light in the domed space at the back (which looks very much like a baroque domed church in Rome, not in the Holy Land).

The spotlight is on Simeon, dressed in red and gold, and then his praise is also true:

When you leave the Cathedral, you are close to the starting point of the South route: Groenplaats.