Flemish school, workshop of the Master of the Holy Blood, ca. 1520.

Flemish school, workshop of the Master of the Holy Blood, ca. 1520.
"Descent of Christ".
Oil on panel. Cradled.
Restored. Needs cleaning.
Measurements: 101 x 70 cm; 112,5 x 81,5 cm (frame).

This panel, made in the workshop of the Master of the Holy Blood, is a representative example of the survival of the language of the Flemish Primitives in the first quarter of the sixteenth century, a period marked by an intense emotional charge, meticulous detail and a remarkable chromatic richness, largely the result of the mastery of the oil technique. The work combines the basic characteristics of this period and demonstrates the artist's ability to convey the psychological introspection of the characters. However, its chronology refers more properly to the phase of the so-called "late Flemish primitives", a time when certain influences of the Italian Renaissance begin to be appreciated, although in this case still in a very limited way.

The painting represents the solemn and tragic moment when the lifeless body of Christ is taken down from the cross. The composition is densely populated, with the figures grouped around the body of Christ, which forms a dramatic diagonal across the center of the work. This descending axis accentuates the lifelessness and fragility of the body.

The artist focuses on the different human reactions to tragedy, endowing each character with a unique expression and gesture: Christ's body, with its olive pallor, is the focus of the composition. The anatomy is depicted with poignant realism, evidencing the suffering through the wounds of the crucifixion (the stigmata) and the muscular tension that begins to disappear with death.

As is traditional in iconography, the figure of Joseph of Arimathea, dressed in embroidered garments, helps to lower the body with a gesture of profound respect. Saint John the Evangelist, dressed in his traditional red cloak, holds Christ's arm in a marked horizontal line. His youthful face shows deep sadness and consternation, fulfilling his role as caregiver. The Virgin Mary is depicted in a prayerful attitude. Next to Mary Mary Magdalene shows restrained anguish. As also occurs in the work of Van der Weyden (currently preserved in the Prado Museum), the bearded character holding an ointment or perfume bottle is identified as an assistant or servant. According to the Prado Museum, some analyses indicate that this bearded character, dressed in more sober colors, acts as a silent witness to the drama taking place in the foreground.

The Master of the Holy Blood is an anonymous painter active in the Netherlands, probably in Bruges, in the early sixteenth century, whose real name is unknown and to whom historians have assigned a "name of convenience" from works related to devotion to the relic of the Holy Blood of Christ preserved in that city; His production, dated around 1500-1520, is in the tradition of the Flemish Primitives, showing a style characterized by meticulous detail, chromatic richness and an intense but restrained expressiveness, and is representative of the survival of this language at a late stage, when the influences of the Italian Renaissance were beginning to be introduced, although still in a limited way. He and his apprentices produced devotional works for sale and not by commission, unlike most of his contemporaries. He seems to have been a disciple or close disciple of Quentin Metsys and was also influenced by Hans Memling. He was also a follower of Gérard David and Hugo Van der Goes.