Descent from the cross with a torch - Rembrandt

There are two sheets in this composition: one immediately receives Christ's body and cushions the descent from the cross; the other, probably destined to become the shroud, is spread over the empty stretcher in the foreground. The audacity of the composition lies in the fact that the foreground is empty; it is only in the background that the scene that gives the engraving its title takes place. The empty shroud signifies Christ's death. Rembrandt, fascinated by this moment of absolute spiritual despair - the laying down of the cross - depicted it many times, in drawings, engravings and paintings. Chiaroscuro doesn't just detach the two white cloths and bring the full sheet into line with the empty one. It places Christ's legs in full light, while his head, shifted to the right, is lost in the half-light: this body reduced to legs becomes insignificant. At the center of the composition, a man's hand rises up to receive and protect Christ's falling head.