Christ’s pale, lifeless body is gently lowered from the cross by two men, his arms outstretched and his head crowned with thorns, while his feet are still marked by the nails of the Crucifixion. Behind Mary, two women stand in mourning: one in white, pressing a cloth to her face, and another in green, her eyes downcast and her hands clasped in grief. Light falls evenly across the scene, illuminating the faces and the rich folds of the garments, which are rendered with precise, sculptural brushwork and a striking palette of reds, blues, greens, and golds.

Every detail, from the tears on the mourners’ cheeks to the texture of the fabrics, is painted with meticulous care, characteristic of Early Netherlandish painting. A skull and bones rest on the ground in the lower left corner, partly covered by the blue drapery of Mary’s robe. In the upper center, a man in blue stands on a ladder, his head bowed and hands gripping the crossbeam as he assists with the descent.

A bearded man in a red cap and dark robe stands behind Christ, his hands supporting the body at the torso. To the right, a man in a richly patterned gold and brown robe holds Christ’s legs and gazes downward. A balding man in green stands behind the richly dressed figure, his head turned toward the scene with a somber expression.

On the far right, a woman in a white headdress and lavender gown kneels and clasps her hands in prayer, her face turned to the side. The lower edge of the painting is lined with grass and small plants, adding a naturalistic detail to the foreground. Light highlights the folds and textures of the fabrics, especially the shimmering gold pattern on the robe and the crisp white of the headdresses. The Descent from the Cross was created by Rogier van der Weyden before 1443.