#annointing

Before the entrance to the cave, near a rock overgrown with bushes, Jesus is being prepared for burial (John 19:38-40). Christ's body is perfectly beautiful, retaining its suppleness and pliability. Only bluish shadows suggest death. On the right, the fair-haired Magdalene anoints him from a golden chalice. On the left, John the Evangelist holds a huge lit candle. The Magdalene's shimmering bright yellow silk cloak and John's bright red cloak frame the figure of the Savior like two blazing spots. The neutral tones of gray-blue and dark green echo the clothing of the other characters: Mary, Joseph of Arimathea, and the little angel.

Blondel, who specialized in decorative schemes for buildings, was a notable representative of Neo-classicism in France.

Caroline Amalie of Augustenburg

(via The Anointing Screen | The Royal Family)

Photos by Charles Reeza

Wash me with warm water and soap made of fresh olive oil anoint me with amber and camphor water with rose geranium and orange blossom water Swaddle me with castor bean and eucalyptus leaves soaked in hot oil Cover my head with henna, wrap me up with a white silk cloth, and put me in a small wooden coffin  then release me in the water Don’t do anything after that but just release a thousand arrows behind me.