It is known that a triptych of the Crucifixion painted in 1607 by Ambrosius Francken stood at the main altar of the Church of the Augustinians in Mechelen, a town just south of Antwerp. It was replaced by a single painting in 1693. It is unknown whether the Figge Art Museum's Crucifixion was once part of a triptych or was painted as a single panel. A commission for this work could have also come from one of the many guilds in Antwerp, which traditionally displayed religious paintings in their guild halls. Francken has used the medieval device of continuous narrative, which depicts previous and subsequent events simultaneously, in one composition. Surrounding the crucifixion, Simon of Cyrene carries Christ's cross, soldiers gamble for Christ's robe, and Christ is entombed, all in a "Europeanized" landscape. Mary swoons in the arms of the disciple John, while Mary Magdalene, in contemporary dress, clutches the foot of the cross. The skull at the base of the cross can be found in many representations of this subject. It was used by artists to symbolize both the place (Golgotha, "the place of the skull"), Adam, Christ's redemption of mankind from the original sin of Adam, and death, which Christ would conquer with his own death and resurrection. The brothers Frans, Ambrosius, and Hieronymus Francken were well-known artists in Antwerp at the end of the 16th century. A pupil of Frans Floris, Antwerp's dominant artistic influence in the middle of the 16th century, Ambrosius Francken was known for his history and portrait painting, and was dean of Antwerp's painting guild (the Guild of St. Luke) from 1581-1582.

Painting in the Spanish Netherlands in the 16th century perpetuated inherited styles and traditions, responding to the Council of Trent's call for art that could revitalize previous pictorial traditions in light of new Catholic Church doctrine. Themes of Christ's infancy and crucifixion were time-honored subjects that were especially adaptable to the Jesuits' emphasis on Christ's willing sacrifice. Frequently these works also included animated figures and complex architectural vistas. Hieronymus Francken the Elder has set an elaborate stage for the subject of this painting, Christ's presentation to the people before his crucifixion. The prisoner Barabbas, just released by Pilate, is being escorted away directly beneath Christ. However, the figures are dwarfed by the architectural setting and foreground action. The architecture and costumes are a blend of Renaissance, classical, and early Christian, as evidenced by the turbaned figure of Pilate and the two figures flanking Christ, one dressed as a 16th-century European soldier, the other as an ancient Roman soldier. Francken has also used the crowded public arena to include a meticulously wrought still life in the right foreground. This work is painted on a copper panel. More expensive than wood, copper was frequently used as a support in northern painting as it enhanced the luster of the oils and glazes. Copper panel paintings, however, present more conservation problems than wood or canvas, because the paint does not adhere as firmly, and the copper panel is easily bent and damaged.`