Pietà
1650 - 1660. Oil on canvas.Not on display
The Virgin holds Christ´s dead body on her lap and turns an imploring look towards the heavens. Saint John, in red, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus meditate on the event of which they are the protagonists. Towards the bottom, Mary Magdalene removes the Thorns form Christ´s head and Mary Salome kisses his hand. This is a work from Jordaens´ mature period, with the long, watery brushstrokes that characterize his final paintings. After making numerous preparatory drawings for the figures, he created a pyramidal composition for the group in the lower part, whose underlying model is Michelangelo´s Pietà, now at Saint Peter´s in the Vatican. This group is framed by the standing figures in the upper part -a solution that was repeated in other representations of the same subject by this artist. This work is from the church of San Alberto in Seville.
