Most paintings of the crucifixion show Jesus on the cross with Mary, his mother and Mary Magdalen, along with John the Baptist and Mary of Clopas beneath the cross. However there are a few interpretations where God the Father is included, as if supporting the cross. The above painting by Domenico Beccafumi is one such depiction. One can also see the Holy Spirit under God’s beard and above the INRI sign. Remember that while on the cross, Jesus uttered 7 phrases, and four of them were precisely directed towards his Father....”Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they’re doing,” ”My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?” “ It is finished,” and “Into your hands I commit my spirit.” The Father was there to support Jesus as He left this world, and the image of God can also be interpreted as if He is welcoming Jesus into Heaven.
The entire altar piece by Beccafumi
The painting is actually the middle section of an altar-piece, and on the sides one can see John the Baptist with St Cosmas and John the apostle with St Damian. Sts. Cosmas and Damian were two brothers, born in Arabia, both skilled in the science of medicine, and they are seen holding a jar of medication or ointment. They were tortured during the Persecution Era in 283 AD. They are the patron saints of pharmacists.
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