The moment depicted in this print is when Christ commends his Mother to St. John, hoping that he will provide for her after he is gone. The three main figures form a moving and emotional triad, a visual pause in the unfolding of the narrative. By presenting them in this way, Dürer has chosen to feature the devotional vigil of the Virgin Mary and St. John, who stand to either side of the cross. In the background, a Roman centurion with a pickaxe waits indifferently. The calm of the scene is energized only by Christ’s billowing loincloth.
