A Passion subject showing the mourning over Christ's body after it has been taken down from the cross, usually with the Virgin, Saint John, Mary Magdalene, and other followers.
The Lamentation shows Christ’s dead body surrounded by mourners after the Crucifixion. Unlike the more concentrated Pietà, it is usually a multi-figure scene including the Virgin, Saint John, Mary Magdalene, holy women, Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus, or angels.
Etymology
From Latin lamentatio, “mourning” or “wailing.”
Sculptor Notes
Because the subject contains many grief-stricken figures, the sculptor must control gesture. If every figure performs the same emotional action, the composition becomes theatrical noise. Contrasting stillness, collapse, support, touch, and outward gesture can build a hierarchy of grief.
References
https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/the-crucifixion-and-passion-of-christ-in-italian-painting; https://www.nga.gov/artworks/41592-pieta