Scripture · Matthew 27:28-29
John 19:26-27
Crucifixion with the Virgin Mary, Saint John and Mary Magdalene
When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” So from that hour, this disciple took her into his home.
Mary Magdalene in gold embraces the foot of the cross while the Virgin in blue and John in red stand beside the crucified Christ.
About the artwork
Van Dyck distinguishes the mourners through color and posture. Mary stands with joined hands, John brings a hand to his chest, and Magdalene kneels close to Christ’s feet. Her gold garment concentrates light near the base of the cross, while the dark sky presses around the raised body above.
More than three meters high, the canvas was bought from Rubens by the town of Bergues around 1620–1621 for the high altar of its Jesuit college church. Seen from the church below, the broad areas of blue, red and gold would help distinguish the mourners beneath the raised body. Magdalene’s embrace draws the eye from their level up the wood toward Christ, a movement a worshipper could follow from the church below.
Featured in: The Life of the Virgin Mary in Paintings
Featured in: When You Cannot Take the Pain Away: Mary Magdalene and the Art of Staying
What does John 19:26-27 mean?
John 19:25–27 names the women standing near the cross, including Mary Magdalene, and then records Jesus addressing his mother and the beloved disciple. He entrusts them to one another, and the disciple takes her into his home. A new responsibility is spoken within the scene of death.
The painting gathers these witnesses around the cross but gives each a gesture of grief. John’s words focus on the mother and disciple, while Magdalene’s presence is established in the preceding verse. Her embrace is the artist’s expression of that presence, adding bodily immediacy to the account of those who remain nearby.
The gathered witnesses frame the moment in John when Jesus entrusts his mother and the beloved disciple to one another.
Sources
Musée du Louvre, Paris. Exact canvas, dimensions and documented acquisition for the Jesuit college high altar in Bergues; its execution predates that purchase.
When You Cannot Take the Pain Away: Mary Magdalene and the Art of Staying. Artwork reading adapted from this guide.
John 19 — Berean Standard Bible. Context for John 19:26-27.
Also from John:Madonna and ChildLux in Tenebris
Continue looking:Golgotha