Mourning Holy Woman from an Entombment of Christ (1500–1510, France) - Catholic Stock Photo

This mourning figure was part of a sculptural tableau depicting the Entombment, the scriptural event when Jesus was laid to rest in a tomb. The mourners for this kind of scene usually included the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, two further Marys (of which the present sculpture was probably one), John the Evangelist, Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus. These life-like representations helped medieval Christians feel like they were actually present for this critical moment of sacred history.