Lamentation of Christ
Artist: Agostino Carracci (Italian, 1557-1602)
Date: ca. 1586
Medium: Oil on canvas
Collection: The State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Description
Before the entrance to the cave, near a rock overgrown with bushes, Jesus is being prepared for burial (John 19:38-40). Christ's body is perfectly beautiful, retaining its suppleness and pliability. Only bluish shadows suggest death. On the right, the fair-haired Magdalene anoints him from a golden chalice. On the left, John the Evangelist holds a huge lit candle. The Magdalene's shimmering bright yellow silk cloak and John's bright red cloak frame the figure of the Savior like two blazing spots. The neutral tones of gray-blue and dark green echo the clothing of the other characters: Mary, Joseph of Arimathea, and the little angel.