Having been taken off the cross after his crucifixion, the lifeless body of Christ rests in his mother's lap. John the Evangelist holds his head, while Mary Magdalene looks at his feet, which according to the Gospel of Saint John, she had anointed in the house of Lazarus -- an episode also referred to by the ointment jar she is holding. Schnatterpeck shows the grief over Christ's death by the furrowed brows of John and Mary, as well as by the tear on Mary Magdalene's cheek and her desperate gesticulation. The angular folds and gestures and the bold colors are typical for late Gothic wood sculpture, which would become highly influential on the Expressionist artists of the early 20th century. This sculpture is remarkable for its large amount of original coloring.