Christ Carrying the Cross, with the Crucifixion; The Resurrection, with the Pilgrims of Emmaus

Gerard David's diptych of the Passion and Resurrection (c. 1510) — Christ Carrying the Cross with the Crucifixion on one wing, the Resurrection with the Pilgrims of Emmaus on the other — represents the culmination of the Bruges tradition of devotional painting that ran from Jan van Eyck through Memling to David as its last great master. David's compositions look back to Rogier van der Weyden and Memling while anticipating the more dramatic approach of Quentin Matsys and the Antwerp masters who succeeded him. The Metropolitan Museum panels exemplify his gift for clear narrative and human pathos.

David's oil on panel technique is masterly: deep, rich glazes build up the jewel-like color characteristic of the Bruges tradition. Figures are modeled with smooth transitions that give flesh a porcelain luminosity. The landscape backgrounds in both panels are rendered with the botanical and atmospheric precision of Flemish naturalism at its height.