Spanish school; second third of the XVI century.

Spanish school; second third of the 16th century.
"Descent from the Cross".
Oil on panel. Partially cradled.
It has Repainting and restorations.
Measurements: 112 x 87 cm.
The scene is situated in a very idealized natural landscape, with a walled city to the right, of strong classicist memory in its architecture, and under a clear sky. All the figures are placed in the foreground, at a large size, and in different attitudes. The cross is seen only in part of its vertical crossbeam, with a ladder on one side and a cloth as a counterweight that supports the body of Jesus. Christ, already dead and lying on the white shroud. The three Marys are next to Christ, weeping over the deceased, and three male figures would be St. John, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. The Descent from the Cross is one of the most represented biblical episodes of the Passion of Christ. The Gospels speak of it: Joseph of Arimathea asked Pontius Pilate to let him take the body of Jesus Christ for burial. Although the New Testament does not describe it in detail, painting, and art in general, has depicted it again and again since the Middle Ages.
During the 15th century, the realistic style of the Netherlands had a strong influence abroad, especially in Italy, but in the 16th century the picture is reversed. The Italian Renaissance spread throughout Europe, and Antwerp became the center of the Flemish school, displacing Bruges and functioning as a center of penetration of Italian influences. Thus, Mannerist influences arrived in the Netherlands, superimposed on the style of the 15th century. There were many painters who continued the style of the Flemish primitives, but others were so open to Renaissance influences that they even stopped painting on panel, the traditional medium of Flemish painting, and began to paint on canvas like the Italians.