The Descent from the Cross

1650/1652

Dutch 17th Century

Painter

Constantijn van Renesse

Painter, Dutch, 1626 - 1680

The lifeless body of a bearded young man partly wrapped in an ivory cloth is being lowered from a cross to a group of people at its foot in this vertical painting. All the people have peachy or pale skin, and most are dressed in cream white and shades of brown. The body and head of the dead man, Jesus, slump to our left, eyes closed and mouth hanging open. His arms and hands are streaked with red, and drips of blood dot his head. Two men on ladders propped against the back of the cross reach over the top crossbar, and one man on our right holds Jesus’s left wrist. A long white cloth is draped over the crossbar and falls to wrap around Jesus’s hips. Two more men stand on the ladders on either side of the cross, one with his arm around Jesus’s torso while the other reaches forward to hold a torch that dramatically lights the cluster of bodies. An older man with white hair and beard, wearing a scarlet-red tunic, stands in front and cradles the hips and legs of Jesus as he is lowered. Six people stand to the right of the old man and the cross. A strong light falls on the face of a pale, older woman. Her eyes are closed, her mouth open, and her arms limp as she is caught by the people around her. The men in the group wear hats and the women’s heads are covered with scarves. From the shadows to the left of the cross, near the edge of the painting, the pale face of a woman peers onto the scene. The landscape behind the cross and group is deep in shadow, but rust-red streaks line the horizon in the distance.

Media Options

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After learning the fundamentals of drawing and painting in his native Leiden, Rembrandt van Rijn went to Amsterdam in 1624 to study for six months with Pieter Lastman (1583–1633), a famous history painter. Upon completion of his training Rembrandt returned to Leiden. Around 1632 he moved to Amsterdam, quickly establishing himself as the town’s leading artist, specializing in history paintings and portraiture. He received many commissions and attracted a number of students who came to learn his method of painting.

This Descent from the Cross, probably painted by a gifted member of Rembrandt’s workshop, evokes reverence. Light from the torch held by the man on the ladder is concentrated on only two major areas of activity: the aged Joseph of Arimathea who gently helps to lower Christ's body, and the swooning figure of the Virgin Mary. Joseph seems to present Christ to the viewer while the figures below quietly prepare to receive the body. Mary’s pale face mirrors the deathly white of her son’s body.

Although Rembrandt was undoubtedly involved in the composition and may well have blocked in forms to serve as a compositional guide, no evidence of his own brushwork exists. Just who may have been responsible for the execution is still a matter of some speculation. Nevertheless, sufficient stylistic connections can be found between this painting and works attributed to Constantijn van Renesse (1626–1680) to make a tentative attribution to this fascinating Rembrandt student. Renesse, about whom very little is known, seems to have been with Rembrandt between 1649 and 1652. Van Renesse depicted a number of large biblical scenes, many of which focused on the life of Christ. This painting was probably begun in the mid-1630s and reworked in the 1650s, at which time it was reduced in size.

On View

West Building Main Floor, Gallery 48

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Widener Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 142 x 110.9 cm (55 7/8 x 43 11/16 in.)
    framed: 181 x 147.3 cm (71 1/4 x 58 in.)

  • Accession

    1942.9.61

More About this Artwork

Scholarly Article:  Dutch Paintings of the Seventeenth Century: The Descent from the Cross, 1650/1652

This horizontal painting shows a group of eight light-skinned musicians and onlookers gathered closely around a rectangular, carpet-covered table. The front edge of the table runs parallel to the bottom edge of the painting, and seems close to us. Shown from about the waist up, the men and women’s vivid lapis-blue, coral-red, buttercup-yellow, lilac-purple, and moss-green garments fall in crisp folds. Bright reflections on the fabric suggest a satin-like material. Two women wear feathers in their hair and one man’s hat is plumed. One man, wearing crimson red and black, sits with his back to us to our left on the near side of the table. He holds the neck of a bass viol, about the size of a cello, with his left hand, and points to pages of an open music book with the bow in his right hand. The other people cluster on the far side of the table. A man to the left plays a violin; a woman at the center plays a guitar-sized bandora, and a woman to our right plays a lute. The musicians, along with a man who leans over the table from between the two women, look down at the music books. A young man behind the woman at the center holds up a glass of pale liquid with his right hand as he touches his left forefinger to his smiling lips. A man and woman stand close together in the background to our right, in the top right corner of the canvas.

Scholarly Series:  Dutch Paintings of the Seventeenth Century

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Harriet, viscountess Hampden [née Burton, 1751-1829], London;[1] (her estate sale, Christie & Manson, London, 19 April 1834 [originally 18 April], no. 83); Fuller. John A. Beaver, Green Heys, Lancashire; (his sale, T. Winstanley and Sons [of Liverpool], Manchester, 15-16 and 18 April 1840, no. 87, bought in); (his sale, Christie & Manson, London, 20 June 1840, no. 102, bought in). Probably William Parker [died 1856], Skirwith Abbey, Cumberland; by inheritance to Edward Wilson Parker [1853-1932], Skirwith Abbey;[2] (sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 2 July 1909, no. 99); (F. Kleinberger & Co., Paris); sold to Fritz von Gans [1833-1920], Frankfurt-am-Main, by 1915.[3] (Bachstitz, The Hague), by 1921;[4] inheritance from Estate of Peter A.B. Widener by gift through power of appointment of Joseph E. Widener, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, after purchase 1922 by funds of the estate; gift 1942 to NGA.
[1] It is possible that the painting was originally in the collection of the viscountess' father-in-law, Robert Hampden Trevor (1706-1783), 1st viscount Hampden, who was British minister at The Hague. He was succeeded by his elder son, Thomas, 2nd viscount (1746-1824), and then by the viscountess' husband, John, 3rd viscount (1748-1824).
[2] William Parker was one of four nephews who were left large fortunes by their uncle, Robert Parker, of Manchester. An invoice to William Parker from the Manchester framemaker Joseph Zanetti, dated 20 October 1841, mentions the “cleaning and repairing [of a] large fluted frame for picture by Rembrandt.” Correspondence between Christie’s and Edward Parker’s solicitors just prior to the July 1909 sale indicates that Parker had inherited the paintings. (Records of the Parker family of Skirwith Abbey, Warwick Hall, and Newbiggin Hall; Cumbria Record Office, Carlisle; WD PKR, box 2, bundle 14, document 213; WD PKR, box 4, bundle 18, documents 4-6, 8, 11-12; copies in NGA curatorial files.)
[3] Cornelis Hofstede de Groot, Beschreibendes und kritisches Verzeichnis der Werke der hervorragendsten holländischen Maler des XVII. Jahrhunderts, 10 vols., Esslingen, 1907-1928: 6(1915):81-82, no. 133.
[4] The Bachstitz Gallery, preface by G. Gronau, 3 vols., Berlin, 1921: 1:5, pl. 31.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1969

  • Rembrandt in the National Gallery of Art [Commemorating the Tercentenary of the Artist's Death], National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1969, no. 12, repro., as by Rembrandt.

2011

  • Rembrandt in America, North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh; Cleveland Museum of Art; Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 2011-2012, no. 43, pl. 45.

Bibliography

1841

  • Trumbull, John. Autobiography, reminiscences and letters of John Trumbull, from 1756 to 1841. New York and London, 1841: 105 n. 78.

1897

  • Bode, Wilhelm von, and Cornelis Hofstede de Groot. The Complete Work of Rembrandt. 8 vols. Translated by Florence Simmonds. Paris, 1897-1906: 8:241, no. 293.

1907

  • Hofstede de Groot, Cornelis. A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of the Seventeenth Century. 8 vols. Translated by Edward G. Hawke. London, 1907-1927: 6(1916):102, no. 133.

  • Hofstede de Groot, Cornelis. Beschreibendes und kritisches Verzeichnis der Werke der hervorragendsten holländischen Maler des XVII. Jahrhunderts. 10 vols. Esslingen and Paris, 1907-1928: 6(1915):81-82, no. 133.

1909

  • "In the Sale Room." The Connoisseur 25 (September 1909): 57.

  • Hofstede de Groot, Cornelis. "Nieuw-ontdekte Rembrandts." Onze Kunst 16 (December (1909): 179-181, pl. 6.

1910

  • Bode, Wilhelm von. "Neuentdeckte Bilder von Rembrandt." Zeitschrift für Bildende Kunst 21 (1910): 6-8, pl. 4.

1921

  • Gronau, G. The Bachstitz Gallery: Catalogue of Paintings and Tapestries. 2 vols. Galerie Bachstitz . Berlin, 1921: 1:5, pl. 31.

  • Valentiner, Wilhelm R. Rembrandt: wiedergefundene Gemälde (1910-1922). Klassiker der Kunst in Gesamtausgaben 27. Stuttgart and Berlin, 1921: xxii, no. 72, repros. 71-72.

1922

  • Neumann, Carl. Rembrandt. 2 vols. Revised ed. Munich, 1922: 1:205-206, pl. 44.

1923

  • Meldrum, David S. Rembrandt’s Painting, with an Essay on His Life and Work. New York, 1923: 64 n. 2, 191, pl. 158.

  • Paintings in the Collection of Joseph Widener at Lynnewood Hall. Intro. by Wilhelm R. Valentiner. Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, 1923: unpaginated, repro., as by Rembrandt.

1929

  • Stechow, Wolfgang. "Rembrandts Darstellungen der Kreuzabnahme." Jahrbuch der Preussischen Kunstsammlungen 50 (1929): 230, pl. 11.

1930

  • Valentiner, Wilhelm R. "Important Rembrandts in American Collections."Art News 28, no. 30 (26 April 1930): 3-4, repro.

1931

  • Valentiner, Wilhelm R. Rembrandt Paintings in America. New York, 1931: no. 113, repro.

  • Paintings in the Collection of Joseph Widener at Lynnewood Hall. Intro. by Wilhelm R. Valentiner. Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, 1931: 86, repro., as by Rembrandt.

1932

  • Hind, Arthur M. Rembrandt: Being the Substance of the Charles Eliot Norton Lectures Delivered before Harvard University 1930-1931. Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1932: 24, 122, pl. 42

1935

  • Bredius, Abraham. Rembrandt Schilderijen, 630 Afbeeldingen. Utrecht, 1935: no. 584, repro., no. 585, detail repro.

  • Bredius, Abraham. Rembrandt Gemälde, 630 Abbildungen. Vienna, 1935: nos. 584 and 585 (detail), repros.

1936

  • Bredius, Abraham. The Paintings of Rembrandt. New York, 1936: nos. 584 and 585 (detail), repros.

1938

  • Waldmann, Emil. "Die Sammlung Widener." Pantheon 22 (November 1938): 342.

1942

  • National Gallery of Art. Works of art from the Widener collection. Washington, 1942: 6, no. 657, as by Rembrandt van Ryn.

  • Bredius, Abraham. The Paintings of Rembrandt. 2 vols. Translated by John Byam Shaw. Oxford, 1942: 1:nos. 584 and 585 (detail); 2:repros.

1948

  • Rosenberg, Jakob. Rembrandt. 2 vols. Cambridge, MA, 1948: 1:134-135, 2:fig. 186.

  • Paintings and Sculpture from the Widener Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1948 (reprinted 1959): 38, repro., as by Rembrandt van Ryn.

1949

  • National Gallery of Art. Paintings and Sculpture from the Mellon Collection. Washington, 1949 (reprinted 1953 and 1958): 38, repro., as by Rembrandt van Ryn.

1952

  • Cairns, Huntington, and John Walker, eds., Great Paintings from the National Gallery of Art. New York, 1952: 100-101, color repro., as by Rembrandt.

1960

  • Goldscheider, Ludwig. Rembrandt Paintings, Drawings and Etchings. London, 1960: 179, no. 92, repros. 92-93.

  • Roger-Marx, Claude. Rembrandt. Translated by W.J. Strachan and Peter Simmons. New York, 1960: 272-273, no. 108, repros.

1963

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. New York, 1963: 313, repro., as by Rembrandt van Rijn.

1964

  • Rosenberg, Jakob. Rembrandt: Life and Work. Revised ed. Greenwich, Connecticut, 1964: 220-221, no. 185, repro.

1965

  • National Gallery of Art. Summary Catalogue of European Paintings and Sculpture. Washington, 1965: 110, as by Rembrandt.

1966

  • Bauch, Kurt. Rembrandt Gemälde. Berlin, 1966: 6, no. 84, repro.

  • Cairns, Huntington, and John Walker, eds., A Pageant of Painting from the National Gallery of Art. 2 vols. New York, 1966: 1: 228-229, color repro., as by Rembrandt.

1968

  • National Gallery of Art. European Paintings and Sculpture, Illustrations. Washington, 1968: 97, repro., as by Rembrandt.

  • Gandolfo, Giampaolo et al. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Great Museums of the World. New York, 1968: 134-135, color repro.

1969

  • Bredius, Abraham. Rembrandt: The Complete Edition of the Paintings. Revised by Horst Gerson. 3rd ed. London, 1969: repro. 493, 610, no. 584.

  • National Gallery of Art. Rembrandt in the National Gallery of Art: Commemorating the tercentenary of the artist's death. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1969: 6, 22, no. 12, repro.

1975

  • National Gallery of Art. European paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. Washington, 1975: 286-287, repro., as by Rembrandt.

1977

  • Bolten, J., and H. Bolten-Rempt. The Hidden Rembrandt. Trans. Danielle Adkinson. Milan and Chicago, 1977: 194, no. 393, repro.

1978

  • Vries, Ary Bob de, Magdi Tóth-Ubbens, and W. Froentjes. Rembrandt in the Mauritshuis: An Interdisciplinary Study. Translated by James Brockway. Alphen aan den Rijn, 1978: 160.

1983

  • Sumowski, Werner. Gemälde der Rembrandt-Schüler in vier Bänden. 6 vols. Landau, 1983: 4:2961, no. 1972, 3039, repro.

  • Eaton, Marcia Muelder. Art and Nonart: Reflections on an Orange Crate and a Moose Call. Rutherford, New Jersey, 1983: 24-25, fig. 3.

1984

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Rev. ed. New York, 1984: 283, no. 366, color repro., as by Rembrandt van Ryn.

1985

  • National Gallery of Art. European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. Washington, 1985: 335, repro.

1986

  • Stichting Foundation Rembrandt Research Project. A Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings. Vol. 2: 1631-1634. Edited by Josua Bruyn et al. Dordrecht, Boston, and Lancaster, 1986: 628-630, figs. 8-9.

1988

  • Wheelock, Arthur K., Jr. "The Art Historian in the Laboratory: Examinations into the History, Preservation, and Techniques of 17th Century Dutch Painting." In The Age of Rembrandt : studies in seventeenth-century Dutch painting. Papers in art history from the Pennsylvania State University 3. Edited by Roland E. Fleischer and Susan Scott Munshower. University Park, Pennsylvania, 1988: 218-219, 228 fig. 9-11, 230 fig. 9-13 (X-ray); 231 fig. 9-14 (detail X-ray); 232 fig. 9-15 (UV-photo).

  • Brommer, Gerald F., and David Kohl. Discovering art history. Worcester, Massachusetts, 1988: 24, 311, repro.

1993

  • Sporre, Dennis J. The creative impulse: an introduction to the arts. 3rd ed. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1993: 318, fig. 11.11.

1994

  • Ocvirk, Otto G. Art Fundamentals: Theory & Practice. 7th ed. Madison, Wisconsin, 1994: 115, repro.

1995

  • Wheelock, Arthur K., Jr. Dutch Paintings of the Seventeenth Century. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, 1995: 300-309, color repro. 303.

1996

  • Wold, Milo A. An Introduction to Music and Art in the Western World. 10th ed. Madison, Wisconsin, 1996: 178, 194, pl. 36, color.

2011

  • Keyes, George S., Tom Rassieur, and Dennis P. Weller. Rembrandt in America: collecting and connoisseurship. Exh. cat. North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh; Cleveland Museum of Art; Minneapolis Institute of Arts. New York, 2011: no. 43, 158, 196.

Inscriptions

falsely signed and dated, lower center: Rembrandt f. 1651 (this inscription removed during conservation treatment in 1991-1992)

Wikidata ID

Q16908837

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