The copperplate may have been in the sale by Clement de Jonghe (1679 as 66 afneemingh vant cruys) but has not been seen since and is probably not in existence.

John 19, verses 38-40
Joseph of Arimethea, a secret follower of Jesus, got permission from Pilatus to remove the body of Jesus from the cross to bury Him. Here the action is seen when the body is wrapped in linen and taken off by a group of followers.

This is the second of three prints showing the descent from the Cross. Rembrandt made several etching which were, on purpose, only lightly bitten, especially in this period. See also B 147 Old man in meditation and B231, The boathouse. Hinterding thinks that this is one of the unfinished etchings, similar to The Artist drawing from a model (B 192) and Old man shading his eyes with his hands (B 259). This is, however, in contradiction with the fact that Rembrandt signed the plate and obviously considered it completed.

The lowering of the body by a cloth slung beneath his arms and Mary in agony in the foreground can also be seen in an engraving by Mantegna (1431-1506) that was frequently used as a model all over Northern Europe (Bartsch 4). There were several works by Mantegna in the inventory of Rembrandt in 1656.

Around 1642 Rembrandt painted the same subject (Bredius 565, now in the National Gallery in London).
Münz pointed at the huddled figure of the Virgin, similar to that of the Sick Woman (B359). He also states that the composition follows the painting of 1634 (Corpus C49, Bredius 551, now in the Hermitage), but that painting is now considered to be a product of the workshop.

All authors mention one state only. Early impressions show much burr.

There are impressions in the British Museum, in the Rijksmuseum, in the Bibliothèque Nationale and in the Fitzwilliam Museum (Cambridge, UK).
There are counterproofs in Brussels and in the Teylers Museum in Haarlem.

Foolscap; Strasbourg bend (1646); Strasbourg lily with cm WK’ (two editions, one c.1652).

H 199, BB 42-C, G 85, M 216, Mz 213, RA 267-268, Cl 86, W 87, Bl 57, Du 89, CD 154
Hinterding 2008, p. 182-183; Rijke traditie, p. 68;

New Hollstein/White-Boon: only state.
A good impression, with vertical polishing scratches and touches of burr on the foreground.
Sheet: 148/150 x 117/118 mm, Thread margins of 1 mm at both sides, cut on the platemark at top and bottom (+1%).
No watermark, horizontal chain lines at approx. 23 mm.

In the collection of Charles Scarisbrick, Sheriff at Scarisbrick Hall, Lancashire (1801-1860, Lugt 522), his collector’s mark in black ink verso. This collection, which may have included works coming from Mariette, was auctioned posthumous at Christie’s, Manson & Woods in London in May 1861.