Pieter Lastman

Although he is now mostly known as the master of Rembrandt, Pieter Lastman (1583–1633) was one of the most important artists in Amsterdam at the beginning of the seventeenth century. He became famous as one of the best history painters in the country, with innovative subjects, luminous and colourful compositions, and a narrative style that inspired many other artists. His reputation in this field was such that the poet Joos van den Vondel compared him, in one of his eulogies, to Rubens (see A. Tümpel and P. Schatborn (eds), Pieter Lastman: leermeester van Rembrandt = the man who taught Rembrandt, Zwolle, Waanders Uitgevers and Amsterdam, 1991, p. 17). A pupil of Gerrit Pietersz Sweelinck, Lastman left for Italy in the first decade of the seventeenth century – an experience that his contemporaries saw as a mark of quality. There he was influenced by Adam Elsheimer and Caravaggio, whose expressive use of light made a particular impact on him.

There are several known versions of the theme of the Crucifixion by Lastman, including one, dating to 1616, in the Museum Het Rembrandt (Amsterdam, Museum Het Rembrandt, inv. 254). One of the most illustrated subjects in Christian iconography, it allowed contemplation of the sacrifice of Jesus, here symbolized by the chalice at the foot of the Cross. Lastman followed in the footsteps of the Northern School painters who had addressed the subject, as evident in the similarities with the contemporary Crucifixion by Jordaens (circa 1620, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rennes, inv. 801.1.2; another version is in Cologne, Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud, inv. WRM 2575), or indeed with the one painted a few years later by his pupil Rembrandt (1631, church of Saint-Vincent du Mas-d'Agenais).

In this version, signed and dated bottom left PLastman fecit. A^o : 1617, Lastman highlights the figures of Christ, the Virgin Mary, St John and Mary Magdalene, who is shown as a kneeling penitent at the foot of the Cross. He could have chosen to represent the moment of ‘Woman, behold your son! Behold, your mother!’ (John 19:26) or the death of Christ. The figure of Mary Magdalene recalls another version of the same theme by the artist, Christ on the Cross with Mary Magdalene, now in a New York private collection (panel, 50 x 39 cm, signed and dated PL 1615).

The influence of Lastman’s Italian trip is evident here, especially in his treatment of light. He has created strong contrasts, with the figures in the foreground sharply lit, while the background remains in shadow, perhaps evoking the darkness that fell over the Earth while Jesus Christ was on Golgotha (Luke 23:44–45). Further figures can be glimpsed, although they have become difficult to read because of the darkened varnish, notably the soldiers playing dice (John 23–24), a crowd, a standard, a horse and perhaps, on the right edge of the work, a Roman centurion in military dress of the same date as the work’s execution.