17th-century flamenco school.

17th-century Flemish school.
“The Descent from the Cross.”
Oil on canvas.
Measurements: 83 x 59 cm; 105 x 82 cm (frame).
An idealized landscape background features few details, drawing the viewer’s attention to the central subject. In the lower part of the painting, the figure dressed in a blue cloak stands out; she has her hands outstretched and is looking upward with an expression of grief. She is the Virgin Mary, supported by Saint John, dressed in red. On the right, a woman with her hair uncovered may be identified as Mary Magdalene. On the left, in the background, another woman completes the theme of “The Three Marys”: the Virgin Mary, mother of Christ; Mary Magdalene, a symbol of repentance, the Law, and the Old Testament prophets; and Mary of Bethany, the younger sister of Lazarus and Martha of Bethany, characterized by freely chosen love and a symbol of the New Testament. In art history, the theme of the Three Marys frequently appears as a secondary scene in depictions of the Crucifixion, the Descent from the Cross, and the Burial of Christ. Very often, especially in depictions of the Crucifixion, the presence of John the Evangelist—who is associated with the Virgin Mary—is included. For their part, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea are also frequent figures in this iconography, and they usually appear, as we see here, perched on ladders leaning against the cross, taking Christ down from the cross. The other two male figures, bare-chested and with robust physiques, who are helping to take Christ’s body down from the cross, are identified only as mere assistants, completing and framing the composition of the upper portion of the work, where the Latin cross with its broad beams is located.
The work’s influence by and affiliation with the Flemish school is evident in its composition, color palette, figures, faces, etc., and it can be compared to such well-known and highly regarded works on the same theme by Rembrandt or Rubens.