Getty Museum

The Entombment

Date

about 1760

Medium

Brush drawing in light brown wash over black chalk, heightened with white and some pink gouache, with occasional touches of pen and brown ink; some framing lines ruled in brown ink and the edges of the sheet

Culture

Italian

Department

Drawings

Institution

Getty Museum

Grief-stricken disciples carry Christ's lifeless body to an imposing tomb, while sorrowful angels hover above. Christ's wound, the three crosses atop Golgotha visible in the distance, and the nails and crown of thorns prominently placed in the foreground all recall Christ's pain and suffering. The Passion of Christ-the last days of his suffering-has long been a popular subject for artists, providing the opportunity to depict deeply expressive subjects that appeal to the viewer's emotions. Niccolo Ricciolini dramatized the misery of humans and the angels through his expressive treatment of drapery and dense, complex layers of wash, gouache, and ink. He further enlivened the drawing with areas of pink bodycolor-for example, in the flame of the torch-and with white highlighting.

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