The Descent from the Cross (central panel)

Peter Paul Rubens

1612–1614 · Oil on panel · Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

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Complete the setHangs well with these two

This print

The Descent from the Cross (central panel)

Het Pelsken (Helena Fourment in a Fur Robe)

Massacre of the Innocents

3 × $59 at 16 × 24 in, unframed = $177 → $159.30 as a set · 10% included · free shipping

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Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

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About this work

Artist: Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640)
Year: 1612–1614
Medium: Oil on panel
Original size: 421 × 311 cm (central panel)
Collection: Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp
Movement: Baroque

Christ's body slides down a white shroud from the cross, received by the apostle John in red, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea above, and the Virgin, Mary Magdalene and Mary Cleophas below; one of his feet rests on the Magdalene's shoulder. This is the central panel of the triptych commissioned on 7 September 1611 by the Confraternity of the Arquebusiers for their altar in Antwerp Cathedral, whose patron Saint Christopher, the Christ-bearer, appears on the outer shutters; the wings show the Visitation and the Presentation in the Temple, every scene a carrying of Christ. Rubens painted it between 1612 and 1614, fresh from eight years in Italy, and turned the Italian models he knew into something solemn and ritual rather than frantic. The French removed it to the Louvre in 1794 and the German army took it to Berlin in 1914; both times it came back, and it still stands in the Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp.

This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. The original is in the public domain.

Details & materials

• Exhibition poster — original, drawn in-house • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in; 12×18 and 16×24 and 24×36 also available framed in black or natural wood • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Produced in 2–4 business days, then shipped from the facility nearest you. Delivery is typically 3–6 business days (US/UK/EU) and 5–12 worldwide. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The exhibition-poster edition sets the complete image above typography designed in-house.

Is The Descent from the Cross (central panel) in the public domain?

Yes. Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1929, so the painting itself is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by Cathedral of Our Lady.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18, 16×24 and 24×36 inches; the two larger sizes are also offered framed. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was The Descent from the Cross (central panel) painted, and in what medium?

The Descent from the Cross (central panel) dates from 1612–1614 and was made in oil on panel; the original measures 421 × 311 cm (central panel).

What size works above a sofa or bed?

For a standard three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 24×36 inches reads as a single statement piece; 16×24 suits a narrower wall or a pairing. The print's proportions follow the original, so a landscape-format painting is wider than it is tall.

About this design

A museum-exhibition poster of Peter Paul Rubens's The Descent from the Cross — The Descent from the Cross — Christ's body lowered on a white shroud by a spiralling group of mourners, the central panel of the Antwerp altarpiece — shown whole and uncropped beneath gallery typography. The Flemish Baroque, styled as a blockbuster exhibition print. A gallery-style exhibition poster: a celebrated public-domain artwork shown whole and uncropped beneath original exhibition typography set in-house — printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Three sizes (12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in); the 16×24 and 24×36 are also offered framed. Part of the Madten Exhibition Posters Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

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The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in ~4–8 business days.

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