As in the Deësis,
Christ is flanked by two
figures in postures of entreaty while angels
present him the instruments of the Passion by which he died for
mankind: on the left, the spear that pierced his side; on the right,
the pillar at which he was scourged; above, the cross.
Usually the two entreating figures in a Deësis are the Virgin Mary
and John the Baptist, who typically wears a beard. But in this case the
second figure is beardless and may represent John the Evangelist.
A capital in the same
cathedral's south portal uses the same iconography, though on a smaller
and more crowded scale.
