Christ on the Mount of Olives with Three Apostles; Saints Stephen and Lawrence (1500, Austria) - Catholic Stock Photo

The central scene of this painted, gilded wooden triptych shows Christ's Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane on the eve of his Crucifixion, based on a print by the German Master A. G. Christ prays to God the Father while the apostles Peter, John the Evangelist, and James sleep at his feet. (The chalice toward which Christ prays refers to his entreaty, "My Father, if it is not possible that this cup pass without my drinking it, your will be done!") In the background, Judas—clutching the bag of silver for which he betrayed Christ—leads a group of armed officials to arrest him. The saints in the wings are Stephen and Lawrence, both deacons of the early Church whose martyrdoms echoed Christ's. This triptych was probably not an altarpiece but a votive panel mounted in a raised position on the aisle wall of a parish church.