About the Exhibition

March 5–May 5, 2025

Location: Floor 5

Cost: Included with general admission

Time: 20–30 minutes

In John 19, Jesus suffers death by crucifixion at the hands of the Romans. His body is removed by his loved ones as they lament together. This moment, traditionally called the Deposition or Descent from the Cross, has since been depicted by hundreds of artists, each interpreting the scene’s emotions in their own way. It is a moment of sadness and uncertainty, but also a moment of anticipation, for in the next chapter of John, Jesus is resurrected!

As part of the museum’s Easter celebrations, the exhibit Descent from the Cross invites you to explore how 21 artists across five centuries, multiple genres, and mixed media have visualized this moment. Exhibit highlights include works by Dürer, Rembrandt, Watanabe, and more, as well as a life-size plaster cast of the scene.

About the “Descent from the Cross” Scene

The earliest renderings of this scene appeared in the ninth century, and soon became part of a cycle going through the life of Christ and his passion later known as the Stations of the Cross. The compositions vary, but certain figures are typically present: Joseph of Arimathea, clothed in rich garments, who works with Nicodemus to remove Christ from the cross; the Virgin Mary swoons nearby or holds her son in the traditional composition of the Pietà; and John the Evangelist, typically dressed in red, assists Mary. Occasionally, there are other unnamed figures or additional women, such as the sisters and mother of the Virgin Mary, and Mary Magdalene.

The artwork in the exhibition is on loan from Jerry and Kristen Stockton, artist Theodore Prescott, who created and later restored the life-size installation of Descent from the Cross, and Bowden Collections, a private collection by Sandra Bowden, one of the founders of CIVA, Christians in the Visual Arts, and former board member for MoBiA, the Museum of Biblical Art, in New York.