Deposition from the Cross

Painted in 1528, this oil on canvas shows the moment when the body of Jesus of Nazareth is taken down from the cross. Rosso Fiorentino received the commission in September 1527 from the Confraternity of the Holy Cross, a lay religious association whose name explains the subject. The work was meant for the altar of their church of Santa Croce in Sansepolcro, a town where the painter had only recently settled. That timing suggests the picture was conceived during his first weeks there. Today it hangs in the church of San Lorenzo in the same town. Its large size, over two and a half metres tall, points to a design meant to be seen from across the nave, though the records do not state this outright. Beyond the commission and the setting, the available sources say little about its technique or composition, so any further claims should be treated with caution.

Painter

Rosso Fiorentino

Date

1528

Medium

oil paint, canvas

Dimensions

270 × 201 cm

Museum

San Lorenzo, Sansepolcro

Genre

religious art

Depicts

Jesus Christ, man

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