Lamentation over the Body of Christ

This painting was once part of the Saint Anne Altarpiece, a series of 10 panels set within an architectural frame that hung behind a church’s altar. Gerard David and his workshop produced this large-scale project for export to Spain. In the scene here three key figures in Jesus’s life—the Virgin Mary, John the Evangelist, and Mary Magdalene—gracefully kneel over his crucified body with tears on their cheeks. This work was likely the central, lowest panel, positioned directly behind the altar to be reflected upon during the blessing of the Eucharist, reminding worshipers of Jesus’s bodily sacrifice on behalf of humanity.