The Crucifixion is an ancient iconographic scheme that follows traditional codes of representation. It unfolds with Christ nailed to the cross, flanked by the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Evangelist.

The scene is completed by the Latin titulus affixed to the cross: “I.N.R.I.” an abbreviation of “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”

The star-shaped gemstones play a significant role in the narrative of the scene. They evoke the darkness said to have fallen at the moment of Christ’s death.

Syria, the Rabula Gospels: Crucifixion and Resurrection, 586, folio 13r, 340 mm × 270 mm, illuminated manuscript, polychromy. Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Rome, Italy.