Pietà from Valencia (Spain)

“The Glencairn Pietà . . . may have occupied the space at the back of a chapel as we see from the peculiar shape with pointed arch, as it was not part of an altarpiece. It is a scene reduced to a minimal spatial reference of a rocky promontory with sparse vegetation and the cross in the background. The Virgin is situated holding in her lap the body of the dead Christ with the wounds in his side, hands, and feet still bleeding. Saint John holds the head, and at his feet the Magdalene is recognisable by her long hair and the gesture of gentleness with which she holds one of Christ’s feet. Mary Salome and Mary Cleophas accompany them. Standing in the background are four male figures, male saints who helped in the descent. One of them, Nicodemus, holds in his hands a jar that must have contained the mixture of myrrh and aloes used to bury the body of Christ (Jn 19:39-40). Joseph of Arimathea holds the cloth used to take Christ down from the cross (Mk 15:46 and Mt 27:59). Other secondary figures, two servants or collaborators, are present, one holding an instrument used to remove the nails from the cross and the nails themselves in his hands, and another one who completes the scene. The gilded background with richly carved vegetal designs helps to achieve the timeless atmosphere that characterises the work. It is a very elaborate and fine type of burin background that is repeated in other Valencian panels of the period with various floral variations.” (Mercedes Gómez-Ferrer, “The Glencairn Pietà: A 15th-Century Painting from Valencia,” _Glencairn Museum News_, Number 2, 2021; see External Link.)

Sources:
- Mercedes Gómez-Ferrer, “The Glencairn Pietà: A 15th-Century Painting from Valencia,” _Glencairn Museum News_, Number 2, 2021.