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The Lamentation

ca. 1514–16
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 611

Patrons at the court of Ferrara, including Duchess Lucrezia Borgia, appreciated Mazzolino’s quirky devotional panels and narratives. His figures are developed in a highly individual and expressive style, characterized by exaggerated facial expressions based on his study of German prints. This sort of eccentricity is typical of Ferrarese painting.

The intimacy of the figures in this Lamentation, who cradle the swooning Virgin and support Christ’s body, demonstrates Mazzolino’s interest in densely grouped compositions that focus on human emotion. Beyond this central scene are three small figures in the distance, likely intended to represent Christ meeting two of his followers after his Resurrection.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Lamentation
  • Artist: Ludovico Mazzolino (Italian, Ferrara ca. 1480–after 1528 Ferrara)
  • Date: ca. 1514–16
  • Medium: Oil on wood
  • Dimensions: 22 × 18 in. (55.9 × 45.7 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Gift of Patrick Matthiesen and The Matthiesen Gallery, in honor of Keith Christiansen, 2014
  • Object Number: 2014.448
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

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