Explore the Subject Matter of this artwork.
The deposition of the dead Christ from the Cross has been a symbolic theme since the fifteen century. Ruben got the idea for the painting Descent from the Cross before he was commissioned by the Harquebusiers. Unlike The Descent from the Cross (van der Weyden), Christ's body is lowered down carefully by group of men. Ruben uses the white shroud that is around Christ’s body, to make it more complicated.
The Descent from the Cross (van der Weyden) Descent from the Cross Ruben