Calvary

The Crucifixion by Jacob Cornelisz. Van Oostzanen, known as Jacob of Amsterdam, comes from the Dominican monastery in Ghent. It was probably the central panel of a triptych. The lamentation of the crucified Christ is set in a wooded landscape with a town in the distance. We see the last straggle of horsemen galloping off into the distance. The scene…

The Crucifixion by Jacob Cornelisz. Van Oostzanen, known as Jacob of Amsterdam, comes from the Dominican monastery in Ghent. It was probably the central panel of a triptych. The lamentation of the crucified Christ is set in a wooded landscape with a town in the distance. We see the last straggle of horsemen galloping off into the distance. The scene of the crucifixion is attended only his mother Mary, John and three holy women. Mary is embracing the cross. Before her is the jar of ointment we often see when she is portrayed. Her flowing robe is richly embellished with gold brocade. The panel is an example of late gothic painting, in which the decorative elements are more important than the inner emotions of the figures. One is also struck by the sense of space the artist manages to evoke and the finely balanced rhythm of the composition.