The Entombment, from "The Passion of Christ"
Original title: The Entombment, from "The Passion of Christ", after Dürer
kurzbeschreibung
Created between 1500 and 1534, Marcantonio Raimondi's engraving 'The Entombment' belongs to a series based on designs by Albrecht Dürer. This small upright print focuses on the burial of Christ, a pivotal episode in the Passion narrative.
Description
Christ lies in an open coffin in the foreground, surrounded by mourners. At the foot, a woman kneels with an ointment jar, while another touches his hand. In the middle, a man supports the body and looks up, as a bearded figure on the right holds Christ by the shoulder. Behind the group, more figures appear, along with a landscape of trees beneath a clouded sky.
Context
Raimondi based this engraving on a woodcut from Dürer's Passion cycle. It was produced in the artist's Roman workshop, renowned for reproductive engravings after Italian and German masters. The series appeared between about 1500 and 1534; this impression is the second of three states.
Impact
The symmetrical arrangement, with Christ at the centre, draws attention to the religious event and creates a devotional, solemn mood. Precise lines and clear modelling of light and shadow give the sheet a calm, dignified presence that makes the figures' sorrow palpable.
Technique
For this engraving, lines were incised into a copper plate. Raimondi used dense, parallel hatching to build shadows and volume. The black impression on paper measures only about 13 × 10 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)