Agony in the Garden

With his hands clasped in prayer, Christ kneels in the Garden of Gethsemane, gazing up at an angel holding a cross, a symbol of his impending death. In the foreground, Christ’s disciples, Peter, John and perhaps James succumb to sleep, oblivious to his distress. A group of armed men, coming to arrest Christ, are shown in the background. Led by the traitor, Judas, they enter the garden. The men in the foreground may represent the spiritual pilgrims to which the poet refers. The miniature is set within an architectural frame with trees and foliage forming an arch over the scene.