Entombment of Christ

This oil on panel by Moretto, dated 1526, shows the body of Christ after the crucifixion as it is laid into an open tomb. Gathered around it are Mary Magdalene, overcome with despair at his feet, Mary on the left, and Saint John on the right, who rests one foot on the tomb. Behind them, a hilly, overgrown landscape opens up, partly hidden by a rock wall, under a sky of thin, hazy clouds that brighten towards the horizon.

The work is closely linked to the central panel of Paolo Caylina the Younger's Deposition altarpiece, made around the same time. The similarities are striking, though Moretto uses brighter, clearer colours and a lighting that heightens the drama of the scene. Scholars see it as a valuable record of his early training, since several of its devices recur later in his career. At least three copies are known: two in private Italian collections and one in the parish church of San Giovanni Battista in Coccaglio.

Painter

Moretto da Brescia

Date

1526

Medium

oil paint, panel

Dimensions

176 × 98 cm

Museum

Galería Nacional de Arte, Washington, D.C.

Genre

religious art

Depicts

Jesus Christ, man

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