Lamentation of Christ
The "Rückenfigur" motif dates to antiquity and has since been employed in many different eras and styles of art. Before Friedrich, such figures were not generally the subject of the work. Giotto's "Lamentation of Christ" (1300s) is any early example of non-subject figures turned from the viewer. The "Rückenfigur" may also take the form of staffage. The trope commonly appears in advertisements.