The picture summarizes the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ. He is depicted after his death sitting on the edge of an open sarcophagus. Focus is on the body with the crown of thorns and the wounds. The landscape framing the peaceful scene is bathed in divine light. It is a type of devotional image whose poetic expressions and dramatic close-up effects were created by Bellini, one of the most important painters of 16th century Venice.