Passion Altarpiece: Descent of the Holy Spirit

Hans Raphon's Passion Altarpiece panel depicting the Descent of the Holy Spirit — Pentecost — in Prague's National Gallery closes the Passion and Resurrection narrative cycle with the founding event of the Christian church. Raphon's ambitious Lower Saxon altarpiece program covered the full sequence from Gethsemane through the Resurrection appearances and Pentecost, providing a comprehensive visual theology for the church patron. The Pentecost scene — tongues of flame descending on the gathered disciples and Mary in the upper room — required Raphon to render the miraculous visible arrival of divine power in a domestic interior.

The gathered disciples are arranged in the upper room with the dove of the Spirit above and flames visible on each head. Raphon manages the complex multi-figure composition with Lower Saxon compositional skill. The domestic interior setting contrasts with the supernatural light of the Spirit's arrival.