Michelangelo produced several drawings related to Christ's sufferings (Crucifixion, Descent from the Cross, Lamentation, Pietà) during his long career. The final decades of his life were characterized by a heightened religious feeling. His thinking was influenced by the leading personalities in the church reform movement, but the most important influence was that of the poetess Vittoria Colonna (c. 1491-1547), who had been linked to Michelangelo by a close platonic friendship since around 1534. In 1538 Colonna presented Michelangelo with a copy of her poems, which had just been published, and the artist gave her a number of religious drawings, including a Crucifixion.

After 1555, Michelangelo executed a series of impressive drawings depicting the crucified Christ in the presence of the Virgin Mary and St John. In these scenes Michelangelo refrained from any scenic elements, leaving the background completely neutral. Each of these drawings depicts fundamental human emotions in a very different manner; the sheets are among Michelangelo's most moving creations.

Preview	Picture Data	File Info	Comment
	The Crucifixion of Christ and the Two Thieves 1522-24 Red chalk, 394 x 281 mm British Museum, London	796*1100 True Color 117 Kb
	Studies for the Descent from the Cross (recto) 1522-24 Red chalk over drawing in stylus, 271 x 191 mm Teylers Museum, Haarlem	636*900 True Color 78 Kb
	Head Studies and a Female Figure Leaning Forward (verso) 1522-24 Red and black chalk, 271 x 191 mm Teylers Museum, Haarlem	900*639 True Color 92 Kb
	The Lamentation of Christ 1523-25 Red chalk, partially over a drawing in black chalk, 320 x 249 mm Graphische Sammlung Albertina, Vienna	726*950 True Color 125 Kb
	The Lamentation of Christ 1531-34 Red chalk over black chalk, 411 x 234 mm Graphische Sammlung Albertina, Vienna	646*1100 True Color 135 Kb
	Male Nude Surrounded by Several Figures 1532-34 Black chalk on primed paper, 285 x 248 mm Hessisches Landesmuseum, Darmstadt	736*900 True Color 84 Kb
	Studies of the Crucified Christ (recto) 1534-36 Black chalk, 330 x 229 mm Teylers Museum, Haarlem	657*950 True Color 89 Kb
	Study for the Colonna Pietà c. 1538 Black chalk, 295 x 195 mm Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston	617*950 True Color 137 Kb
	Christ on the Cross c. 1541 Black and white chalk, 368 x 268 mm British Museum, London	818*1102 True Color 136 Kb
	Epiphany 1550-53 Black chalk on paper, 2327 x 1656 mm British Museum, London	949*1300 True Color 219 Kb
	Crucified Christ with Mary and John c. 1550 Black chalk and white paint for corrections, 413 x 286 mm British Museum, London	800*1133 True Color 166 Kb
	Christ on the Cross with the Virgin and St John 1555-64 Black chalk, white heightening, 412 x 279 mm British Museum, London	754*1100 True Color 110 Kb
	Christ on the Cross with the Virgin and St John (recto) 1555-64 Black chalk, traces of red chalk, 405 x 218 mm Royal Collection, Windsor	607*1100 True Color 92 Kb
	Christ on the Cross with the Virgin and St John 1555-64 Black chalk and white heightening, 382 x 210 mm Royal Collection, Windsor	620*1100 True Color 103 Kb
	Christ Crucified between the Virgin and St John c. 1552-54 Black chalk, brown wash and white lead, 433 x 290 mm Musée du Louvre, Paris	1053*1400 True Color 223 Kb
	Descent from the Cross 1555 Red chalk on pale buff paper, 375 x 280 mm Ashmolean Museum, Oxford	600*790 True Color 93 Kb