The Lamentation was woven for Cosimo de'Medici by Nicolas Karcher from a cartoon by Francesco Salviati as a trial sample for weaver and artist. It was probably intended for the altar of the Cappella dei Priori in the Palazzo della Signoria, even though for the first few years it may have been hung in Eleonora's private chapel in the same palazzo. Returning to a composition he had already employed twice in painting, Salviati adapted it to the demands of tapestry by heightening the chromatic tones; replacing the background figures with an arid, rocky landscape leading to Golgotha; and adding a symbolic border. The elaborate costumes and variety of textures allow for a virtuoso demonstration of the art of weaving.