Christ as the Man of Sorrows

The dead Christ is shown with eyes closed and his head tilted to one side, displaying the lance wound in his side and nail marks on his hands. He stands within a reddish-pink tomb set against a brilliant, textured gold background that eliminates physical depth. A dark wooden cross rises behind his head, which is encircled by an intricately punched gold halo.

This image represents the 'Imago Pietatis,' a central motif in the Devotio Moderna movement which emphasized personal, affective meditation on the humanity of Christ. In the context of early Renaissance thought, the use of gold-ground painting relates to Neoplatonic theories of divine light as a manifestation of the spiritual realm.