 The painting behind the high altar was given to the Town’s Corporation in 1775 by the Hon Anne Poulett, MP for Bridgwater, 1765-85.
Its origins are obscure: it has been attributed to Murillo or Guido, and local legend says it came from a captured Spanish ship.
The focus of the picture is the dead body of Christ, around which are positioned three women and a man. They remained with Christ until the end and the picture tells a parable of what it means to follow Him in all circumstances.
The man on the right supports the body and he is probably meant to be the ‘disciple Jesus loved’, the one who took Mary into his own home after Jesus's death. He is utterly oblivious to everything. In his suffering he is identifying completely with the sufferings of Christ.
The woman to the bottom of the painting behind Jesus lies on the ground, seemingly unconscious. From the blue robe she is probably meant to be Mary the mother of Jesus. She is completely prostrated by her pain, and is a reminder that the demands of life sometimes overwhelm us, and there is no choice but to give up and let others help us. There is no shame in her withdrawal, it is just what she needed at the time.
The woman to the left supports the Virgin Mary's head in her lap. She is called now to care for others, but will need time later for her own grief. She represents God, in God's care for us when we feel we can continue no longer.
The woman standing with her arms outstretched is probably a prophet. She is bearing witness - telling the world what has happened here, and perhaps inviting us to condemn what has happened or to identify with the mourning of the others. She points upwards into the light, and perhaps we should infer there is slight sense of hope, a token of the Resurrection.
There is not a great deal of hope in this painting, but it is there. The light obviously comes from above the top of the cross. The upright of the cross clearly points towards Heaven, indicating the presence of God. At the horizon to the right of the painting we can see just a hint of sunset with a touch of red in the clouds. - maybe an indication of a brighter new day not very far into the future. It is a foretaste of the Resurrection yet to come. |
