Christ lies upon an expanse of cloth creased by folds. With the last of his strength he seems to grasp the fabric. Around the fingertips of his left hand small depressions are formed in the cloth.

The skin of the muscular body is strained and tensed

For the believer who views the sculpture the phase between death and resurrection is imbued with a unique atmosphere. Anguish over Christ’s agonizing death on the cross mixes with the redemptive knowledge of the resurrection.

Hegewald combines with virtuosity different artistic concepts: the harmoniously proportioned body has its origin in Italian influences, whilst the naturalistic rendering of the surfaces and detailed representation of the folds of the loincloth hark back to earlier central European traditions.