The Deposition of Christ
Benedetto Antelami 1178

The image of the Deposition of Christ shows Christ being removed from the cross after his death. In the thousands of versions of this scene, Christ is commonly depicted as being attended to by the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalane, and a host of saints and angels. It is an image which predates the iconic Pieta by hundreds of years, common from the Byzantine era onward. The deposition, along with images of the lamentation of Christ, (one variation of which is the Pieta) and the entombment of Christ convey the deep emotion of loss felt by those close to him.