The Burial of Christ
Inside a dark cavern, dramatically lit by a torch, Christ’s limp but powerful body is about to be lowered into his tomb. Light on the horizon signals either sunset on his earthly life or sunrise in anticipation of a new beginning with his resurrection. This richly painted oil on copper was commissioned by a canon of the cathedral of San Pietro in Bologna as a gift to an important figure in Rome, but in the end the canon kept it and sent a copy by Guido Reni.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Burial of Christ
- Artist: Annibale Carracci (Italian, Bologna 1560–1609 Rome)
- Date: 1595
- Medium: Oil on copper
- Dimensions: 17 1/4 x 13 3/4 in. (43.8 x 34.9 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Purchase, Edwin L. Weisl Jr. Gift, 1998
- Object Number: 1998.188
- Curatorial Department: European Paintings
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