English
The Meditation on the Passion
This remarkable picture is a meditation on death and resurrection. Christ’s dead body is displayed on a broken throne inscribed in pseudo-Hebrew. A bird, a symbol of the soul, flies upward. The landscape—contrastingly barren and lush—alludes to the themes of death and life, as do the animals. The Old Testament prophet Job sits on a block inscribed in pseudo-Hebrew while opposite is Saint Jerome (ca. 347–420), who wrote a commentary on the book of Job. The turbaned figures in the background would have been familiar to Venetians through their trade with the Middle East and Egypt.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Meditation on the Passion
- Artist: Vittore Carpaccio (Italian, Venice 1460/66?–1525/26 Venice)
- Date: ca. 1490
- Medium: Oil and tempera on wood
- Dimensions: Overall 27 3/4 x 34 1/8in. (70.5 x 86.7cm); painted surface 26 3/16 × 33 1/4 in. (66.5 × 84.5 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: John Stewart Kennedy Fund, 1911
- Object Number: 11.118
- Curatorial Department: European Paintings
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5067. The Meditation on the Passion
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