Public domain
The Deposition over a Sketch of an Executioner
From the collection of Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This expressive drawing shows how Rembrandt translated his observations of human suffering into the biblical stories he depicted. Christ is truly dead: his body is stiff, and his hair hangs down. The men who carry the cloth with the corpse display visible exertion. Rembrandt initially used this sheet for a sketch of an executioner whose head and arms can still be discerned at the left of the curtain.
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam’s own descriptionSubjects
Credit lineDe graflegging over een schets van een beul. c. 1640 - c. 1641. Rembrandt van Rijn. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Public domain.
