Deposition of Christ

Jesus Christ is depicted in luminous white and blue robes, floating above his tomb with a victory banner in hand. Below him, three soldiers in plate armor are shown in states of sleep and confusion amidst jagged cliffs. The scene is set against a shimmering gold background within a Gothic triangular pinnacle, representing the transition between medieval symbolism and Renaissance naturalism.

This panel is a pinnacle from the Strozzi Altarpiece, commissioned by the humanist patron Palla Strozzi, who was instrumental in bringing Greek manuscripts and scholars to Florence before the rise of Marsilio Ficino. It represents the late Gothic spiritual tradition that preceded the Neoplatonic and Hermetic shifts of the mid-15th century.