The Work
Doré's Deposition from the Cross (from La Sainte Bible, 1866) shows the body of Jesus being lowered from the cross by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus while Mary and the disciples weep below, the limp figure of Christ creating a powerful diagonal across the composition. The torchlit darkness of evening surrounds the mourning group in a veil of grief.
Biblical Source
John 19:38-40 - "Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus... Accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night, Joseph came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes... They took Jesus' body and wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen" - provides the narrative. The presence of Nicodemus - who came to Jesus secretly at night (John 3) and is now publicly claiming his body - is one of John's subtle indicators of the cross's effect on those who witnessed it.
Artist and Iconography
Doré draws on the Flemish and Italian Deposizione tradition, particularly Rubens's great Antwerp altarpiece, while achieving a Victorian emotional register: the grief of the mourning figures is personal and particular rather than hieratic. The torchlight introduces a quality of darkness-interrupted-by-warmth that suits the theological moment: the body of Christ removed from the cross before the Sabbath, the darkness of death not yet resolved into resurrection.