Christ, removed the body of Jesus from the cross with the help of Nicodemus. Since the

Virgin Mary and St. John were present during the Crucifixion, one can infer that they

were still present when the body of Christ was deposed from the cross." On the other

hand, the suicide of Judas was a very popular theme. Matthew narrated that after Judas

betrayed Christ, Judas felt such remorse that he went back to the temple to return the

thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. He then went to the nearest tree and

hanged himself. The pairing of these two episodes is not a very common one.'

 In the third register of folio CCCXXIIII r, the deposition of Christ is also placed

slightly to the right of center, and is hence aligned with the images of Christ in the

Crucifixion and in the Kiss of Judas in the middle and upper registers. Christ has a cross

halo and his eyes are closed. Joseph, who is standing on a stool on Christ's right, holds

the dead body of Christ, while at his side the Virgin Mary gently hugs the lifeless arm of

her son. There is still no indication of nail wounds, or the spear wound, and there is no

indication of blood.79 On Christ' s left, John the Apostle leans towards Christ, and behind

John, Nicodemus uses tongs to remove the nail from Christ's left hand. One inscription

identifies the scene, and three inscriptions also identify the people in this episode. The

first inscription, hic deponunt ihm de cruce (here they depose Him from the cross), is

located above the cross. The next inscription, Maria Joseph, is located towards the right

77Ibid.

78The earliest example comes form an ivory panel depicting the Crucifixion and the
suicide of Judas from Rome or southern Gaul from 420-430. This piece is currently
located in the British Museum, London. See F.W. Volbach, EarlyE~~~~EEEEE~~~~EEEE Christian Art, London,
1961, Plate 98.

79 As with the Crucifixion of Christ there is no indication that the hands or feet of Christ
have been nailed to the Cross, the nails are lacking--with the exception of the single nail
on Christ's left hand.