This painting illustrates the moment after Jesus’s body was removed from the cross. Joseph of Arimathaea holds the linen cloth in which Jesus will be wrapped and Nicodemus clutches a jar of spices. The entombment is represented in the background, which also includes Mount Calvary (the place of skulls) and a distant view of Jerusalem. In the side panels, Mary Salome and Mary Cleophas hold jars of spices to prepare Christ’s body for the tomb.

Provenance: bequeathed by the Founders, 1885

Object description
Type: Easel painting
Location: Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, County Durham
Material: Oil on panel
Artist: Ambrosius Benson (c.1495–before 1550) (circle of)
Date: 16th C

Image Details
Date: 7 Feb 2025
Camera body: iPhone Xs
Lens: Wide Camera 26mm ƒ/1.8
Focal Length: 26mm
Aperture: ƒ/1.8
Shutter Speed: 1/25s
ISO: 500
Licensing: Image of a Bowes Museum asset. This image cannot be licensed.