While this appears at first glance as a painting of Jesus on the cross surrounded by his mother, Mary, and the Apostle John, examining the piece reveals a third person at the foot of the cross. Barely visible due to weathering and age, hands and the outline of another mourner can be seen. The fading woman is Mary Magdalene. She is often painted at the cross in a humble and grief-stricken posture, often associating her with the anointing stories in the Gospels and the account of her clinging to Jesus on Resurrection morning.