Christ on the Cross

Christ appears on the cross against a dark sky. A distressed Virgin Mary and Saint John stand on either side, accompanied by two kneeling figures. One is a Carthusian monk, whose monastic life focused on solitude and prayer.

The other is a wealthy man clad in a fur-lined coat. These two very different men may have been brothers, with one or both commissioning this painting.

The artist is unknown but his refined style suggests that he may have worked with the renowned painter Quinten Massys in Flanders, in modern-day Belgium.