Christ appears dead, on his own shroud. He is held by his mother, who looks imploringly at Heaven. Mary Magdalene kisses his hand while Saint John contemplates the scene from farther back in the composition. In the foreground, in front of the sepulcher, the Crown, Nails and sign in Hebrew, Greek and Latin recall the Crucifixion.

Jesus's posture on Mary's knees and the dramatic nature of this work link it to the Medieval Germanic tradition. It is directly based on an engraving by Goltzius but is also considerably influenced by Rubens, although the great dramatic intensity and pathos of its characters belong to religious works from Van Dyck's mature period.

This work entered the Museum from the Monastery of El Escorial, where it was first documented in 1657.