Sleeping guard of a grave with a crossbow

Bernhard Strigel's Sleeping Guard of the Grave with a Crossbow belongs to the Resurrection narrative cycle frequently depicted in German altarpieces. The sleeping soldiers guarding Christ's tomb who fail to prevent the Resurrection were a popular subject, their slumbering figures providing an opportunity for relaxed, naturalistic figure study amid scenes of sacred drama. Strigel's rendering demonstrates his skill in depicting the human figure in unconventional postures, while the crossbow provides a precise record of contemporary military equipment that makes such works valuable as historical documents of sixteenth-century German material culture.

The armored figure asleep with his crossbow is rendered with Strigel's careful attention to military equipment and costume. The sleeping pose creates a paradox of martial preparedness overcome by divine will.