Lamentation

The relief with the Lamentation scene is one of four surviving fragments of the Passion altarpiece from St Mary's Church in Dąbie (now a district of Szczecin). The composition of the scene is modelled on the graphics of the eminent German engraver Hans Schäufelein (c. 1480-1540), part of a series of passion paintings published in 1507 in Nuremberg. It represents a variant commonly used in the late medieval period, appealing not only to the emotions and sympathising with the pain of the bereaved loved ones, but also emphasising the Eucharistic dimension of the sacrifice made by Jesus. Christ's body, taken down from the cross and placed on the canvas of the shroud, forms the ideological and compositional centre of the representation. Corpus Christi, the body of Christ becomes the host. It thus symbolises the mystery of the Eucharist – the transformation of bread into flesh taking place on the church altar covered with a linen tablecloth. The way in which the Lamentation scene was depicted was to vividly affirm the presence of Christ in the sacrament. The figures gathered by the body of Christ, whose prayerful poses and facial expressions express preoccupation and sadness, are models of piety typical of late medieval culture.

Other surviving reliefs of the Passion Altarpiece from Dąbie – Group of Apostles: Bartholomew, Simon, Andrew (inv. no. MNS/Szt/8), Group of apostles: Paul, Thomas, James the Greater (inv. no. MNS/Szt/9), The entombment of Christ (inv. no. MNS/Szt/169) –together with the discussed section, they are presented in the permanent exhibition Mystery of Light. Medieval art in Pomerania.

Kinga Krasnodębska