Lamentation over the Dead Christ

The body of Jesus lies horizontally across the center, cradled by the Virgin Mary while Mary Magdalene weeps at his feet and John the Evangelist kisses his hand. The figures are set against a textured gold background, their heads surrounded by elaborate punched-gold halos. To the right, a figure holds the three nails used in the crucifixion, emphasizing the instruments of the Passion.

Created by a Camaldolese monk, this work reflects the late medieval tradition of 'affective piety' which sought to provoke an intense emotional response in the viewer. This mystical focus on the suffering body of Christ as a path to divine union provided the devotional foundation upon which the later Florentine Neoplatonists built their theories of the soul's ascent.