Lament over the Dead Christ (Moretto)
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| Lament over the Dead Christ | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Moretto da Brescia |
| Year | 1526-1530 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Location | National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. |
Lament over the Dead Christ is a 1526–1530 oil on canvas painting by Moretto da Brescia, now in the National Gallery of Art in Washington. Painted late in the painter's youth, it shows strong similarities to the central panel of Paolo Caylina the Younger's Deposition Altarpiece from around the same time, though there are also notable differences in their use of color, such as the brighter and clearer colors used by Moretto. Some of the elements reused by Moretto in Lament recurred later in his career, so the work gives a clear idea of Moretto's training and education as an artist.[1]
No records survive of the painting's commissioning and original location.[2] It is first recorded in the 19th century, when it was in the Egremont collection. It was then acquired at an unknown date for the Cook collection in Richmond-upon-Thames, which also contained Moretto's Enthroned Madonna and Child with Saint James the Great and Saint Jerome.[2] In 1898, Pietro Da Ponte wrote of it, attributing it to Cesare Magni,[3] though he does not cite his source for this attribution.[2] In 1947, it was sold to the Kress Collection, which had become part of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. in 1939.[2]
Description
The work depicts Jesus, dead after crucifixion, and the desperation of Mary Magdalene at his feet, Mary at left, and John the Apostle at right. John supports one foot on an open tomb, into which the Jesus' body is being placed. The background of scene opens into a hilly, overgrown landscape that is obscured by a rock wall to the right of Saint John. The sky is filled with a few vaporous clouds and opens up around the horizon