Christus aan het kruis, met Maria, Johannes en Maria Magdalena

Christ hangs on the cross against a turbulent, darkened sky with the city of Jerusalem visible in the distant background. To the left, Saint John supports the grieving Virgin Mary, while Mary Magdalene kneels at the base of the cross, looking upward. A prominent skull and bone lie at the foot of the cross, traditionally signifying the grave of Adam at Golgotha.

The inclusion of Adam's skull at the foot of the cross represents the 'New Adam' (Christ) redeeming the 'Old Adam,' a central theme in Christian Neoplatonism concerning the restoration of the soul. The Sadeler family were key figures in the dissemination of late Mannerist and early Baroque imagery, often working within the intellectual and esoteric circles of the Rudolfine court.