The Raising of the Cross (c.1633)

The Raising of the Cross
c.1633
Oil on canvas, 96.2 x 72.2 cm
Alte Pinakothek, Munich

The so-called ‘Passion Cycle’ was painted for the stadtholder of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, Prince Frederik Hendrik of Orange. The six paintings however do not form a cohesive entity as central events in the life and passion of Christ are missing. It is probable that the stadtholder’s death in 1647 prevented the execution of subsequent scenes. The works were not created according to the sequence of events recorded in the gospels—Rembrandt completed ‘The Deposition’ in 1633, whereas ‘The Adoration of the Shepherds’ was not finished until 1646. (APM)