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The panel of the crucifixion scene with Mary, Magdalene and John in a landscape with a city view, staffage and horsemen is characterised by its outstanding quality. In addition to the excellent design of the figures, the meticulously crafted details, such as the vanitas symbol of the skull lying on the ground, or the tears catching the light on the faces of the mourners, are particularly noteworthy. Created around 1500-1550, the work combines the high points of the artistic achievements of this period – it contains elements of the Italian Renaissance, as can be seen in the architecture and landscape design, as well as those of the Dutch masters, particularly evident in the clear precision and luminosity of the rendering in the oil glazes.

Comparable works can be found primarily among Flemish masters of the first half of the 16th century. For example, Joos van Cleve (1485-1540), who worked in Antwerp, consistently incorporated contemporary Italian influences of his time, possibly travelled to Italy himself and was even referred to as the "Leonardo of the North". Ambrosius Benson (1495-1550), who was born in Lombardy and documented in Bruges from 1518, and his closely associated Bruges painter colleague Adriaen van Isenbrandt (1510-1551) also created masterfully harmonising compositions that are very similar to the present work in their combination of elements from both the north and the south.