Spanish, Spain

Suffering and grief dominate the mood of this crowded composition for an altarpiece. The pained facial expressions and precise rendering of the wounds—employed to elicit sympathy from the viewer—suggest the Spanish artist’s familiarity with painting styles from northern Europe.

Luxurious details also vie for the viewer’s attention. Gilded and punched decoration creates a brilliant, jewel-like surface, and artistic exchange and international trade are evident in the textiles. Mary, fainting the foreground, and the horseman at right both wear golden cloth woven with a pomegranate motif. This Middle Eastern symbol of fertility and resurrection was embraced in Venetian and Ottoman courtly textiles.