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Wikimedia Commons · CC0 · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileafter Hendrick Goltzius
This red chalk drawing shows the lifeless figure of Christ being held upright by two angels. The central figure's heavy, muscular anatomy is emphasized as he slumps forward, while the angels on either side struggle to support his weight. The scene is set against the edge of a simple stone sarcophagus, focusing the viewer's attention on the physical reality of the body and the wound in his side.
Hendrick Goltzius was a central figure of the Haarlem Mannerists, a circle deeply engaged with Neoplatonic thought and the study of human anatomy as a reflection of divine order. In the Western esoteric tradition, the 'Body of Christ' often serves as a metaphor for the alchemical 'King' in a state of mortification or 'nigredo,' representing the essential material undergoing spiritual purification.
Carel van Mander
Goltzius was a close collaborator of van Mander, whose 'Schilder-boeck' integrated artistic technique with Neoplatonic and moral philosophy.
Paracelsus
In Paracelsian 'Alchemical Christianity,' the suffering and death of Christ are used as primary analogies for the chemical processes of transmutation and the perfection of matter.
Object
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Engraving
religious
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · CC0
http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.479937
Creative Commons Zero, Public Domain Dedication
5712 × 4090 px
8a724410915331728908a6d36fe02aa9f7221c09
May 26, 2024
March 23, 2026
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 1, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.