The Lamentation is a copy of a lost work by Hugo van der Goes. The painting has a very unusual composition and was one of his most copied works. The torsos of the figures, which fill the whole surface area of the painting, are in close-up and this heightens the dramatic power of the picture. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea carry Christ’s dead body while the apostle John comforts Mary, the Mother of God. The figure at the top right is Mary Magdalene.The exceptionally fine quality of the copy suggests that it was painted by someone very close.
