Descent from the Cross
1650
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1650
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Descent from the Cross is a 1650 by Peeter Clouwet, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This print shows a chaotic scene of people handling a limp body wrapped in cloth. Men hoist the body from a cross while others kneel or reach out, their faces twisted in grief. The background is dark, with rough wood and shadows making the figures stand out sharply. Notice how the light hits the figures’ faces and arms, creating strong contrasts. The artist used this to make the emotions feel even more intense. Try looking up *chiaroscuro* next to see how this technique works.
The engraving titled *Descent from the Cross* is a print on paper by Peeter Clouwet, created in 1650 after a design by Rubens. The work includes inscriptions with the phrases "Reverendo admodum, nobili" and the artist's name, "Petrus Clouwet."
Read the full account in the museum source.
Peeter Clouwet made small, detailed prints in the middle of the 1600s. His 1650 engraving *Descent from the Cross* shows the same arched doorway that appears in his *The Cow-House*, a view of a low brick shed where cows…
See the richer artist page
