Tintoretto’s “The Descent from the Cross” at the Accademia Galleries in Venice

Tintoretto (1518 – 31 May 1594) – “Descent from the Cross”

Painting – Oil on canvas (228 x 295 cm) 1560–1562

Tintoretto, Descent from the Cross, at the Accademia Galleries in Venice, Italy

The Descent from the Cross This painting comes from the church Santa Maria dell’Umiltà on the Fondamente Zattere, in the Dorsoduro district of Venice, near the Gesuiti church.

This church and its convent were abandoned by the Jesuits, who were expelled from Venice in 1606, when the Society of Jesus opposed the Republic of Venice, which was in conflict with the Holy See.

Finally, in 1806, Napoleon ordered the closure of numerous convents and churches in Venice, including this one.

Mary is unconscious, lifeless, her face as pale and dull as her son’s.

The Descent from the Cross She is supported by a woman.

The figures of Christ and Mary are positioned to form two diagonals that intersect in the centre of the painting, so that Christ rests on his mother’s lap.

It is worth noting that this positioning of Mary and Christ forms the cross of shared suffering, which reinforces the composition both pictorially and symbolically.

This Deposition of Christ is the moment when his body has just been taken down from the cross.

The Descent from the Cross The ladder visible in the background and the tongs in the foreground are there to indicate the precise moment at which this funeral scene is taking place.

Tintoretto’s interpretation is that of medieval literature, which differs from the Gospel accounts; the two Marys, as well as Saint John and Nicodemus, who are mentioned in the Gospels, are not depicted here.

Mary Magdalene spreads her arms and seems incredulous at the sight of this corpse; she scrutinises Christ’s face in the hope of seeing some sign of life.

The Descent from the Cross