Name/Title
LamentationEntry/Object ID
2009.12.15Description
Lamentation by Adam Kraft.
The Lamentation of Christ is a common subject in Christian art. After Jesus was crucified, his body was removed from the cross and his followers mourned over his body. Carved by the late medieval artist Adam Kraft, the Lamentation was the last of 7 panels depicting the stations of the cross that led the way from the gates of Nuremberg, Germany to St. John’s Cemetery. The robust, naturalistic figures–many in contemporary dress–convey the sorrow of the moments that followed Christ’s crucifixion, which would have resonated with mourners as they prepared to bury their dead. The original work also included an inscription that referenced the via crucis (Way of the Cross) in Jerusalem, correlating the journey to the cemetery with Christ’s own path to death and resurrection.
Tallada hacia finales de la Edad Media por Adam Kraft, la Lamentación es el último de los siete paneles de las Estaciones de la Cruz que iban desde las puertas de Nuremberg hasta el Cementerio de San Juan en Alemania. Destaca la solidez y naturalidad de las figuras y que muchas estén ataviadas con vestimentas contemporáneas. Los dolientes que iban a enterrar a sus muertos debieron haberse identificado con estas figuras que reflejaban el sufrimiento experimentado durante la crucifixión. La pieza original incluía una inscripción que hacia referencia al Vía Crucis (el camino hacia la cruz) en Jerusalén. De esta manera se asociaba el recorrido hacia el cementerio, con el camino de Cristo hacia la muerte y la resurrección.Dimensions
Dimension Description
Frieze's DimensionsHeight
50 inWidth
69 inDepth
17 inInterpretative Labels
Label Type
Credit LineLabel
Gift of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2009