Icon of the Deposition from the Cross

Late 15th century. Northern school
Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

This icon depicts the moment that Mary, Joseph of Arimathea, . Nicodemus and John take the body of the Saviour down from the cross, while Mary Magdalen and Mary the Egyptian stand by, mourning. At first sight the picture seems to be from Novgorod, but a better look soon proves that this is not the case, and the panel is now said to be from an area north of Novgorod. The style of the icon, especially the elongation of the figures, the small heads, hands and feet, the anatomical details and the contemporary details of the building in the background are all from the end of the 15th century, but the simplicity of the presentation and the absence of unnecessary details refer to an earlier point in time. The painter was clearly not interested in unimportant details, and though the building has a contemporary form, it is reproduced in a pretty mechanical way. The attention of the artist was concentrated on the human figures and the dramatic character of the scene portrayed. He has used the direct way of presenting, which is characteristic of an earlier period and which makes an immediate and deep impression. At the same time he was a master in the area of composition. The hard horizontal lines of the cross are accentuated by the lines of the building below it, and the effect is even intensified by the oblique line of the ladder with its unlikely position. The striking feature, however, is the particular feeling for the linear rhythm, which together with the delicate use of the curved line gives the picture quite a character of its own.

Source: Iconen - Kunst en devotie - T. Talbot Rice

The religious picture has been fixed on a solid oak panel, in accordance with the original Russian technique of iconography with egg tempera and champagne chalk by Ank Landwier-Boonekamp. in 1998.