The Entombment of Christ
Relief
first half sixteenth century (made)
first half sixteenth century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is a gilt bronze relief after Jean Boulogne (Giovanni Bologna), called Giambologna (1529-1608), made in the first half of the 16th century in Florence. It represents the Entombment of Christ. The relief is a replica of one of the four bronze reliefs at the back of the altar commissioned by Cardinal Ferdinando de'Medici from Giovanni Bologna in 1588 for the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The relief in Jerusalem appears to be the same size as the present relief. The handling of the figures appears as a whole to be tighter and less expressive than in the original, and the detail of the foreground and the interior of the cave is handled less naturalistically.
Born in Flanders Giovanni Bologna (1524-1608), or short Giambologna went to Rome to study antique sculpture from about 1550 to 1553. He then travelled through Florence where he was persuaded to stay. He became sculptor to the Medici family and thus became one of the most influential sculptors of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. For half a century Giambologna dominated Florentine sculpture, carving an ever more impressive series of statue groups in marble: Samson Slaying a Philistine (1560–62), Florence Triumphant over Pisa (1563–75), the Rape of a Sabine (1582), Hercules Slaying a Centaur (1595–1600). In addition, Giambologna produced several extraordinary bronze statues. By ca. 1570 Giambologna had become the most influential sculptor in Europe. Apart from the fame that his monumental statues in Florence inevitably brought, his style was disseminated in the form of small bronze reproductions of his masterworks, or statuettes, which he composed independently as elegant ornaments for the interior. These were used by the Medici as diplomatic gifts for friendly heads of state, and were also eagerly purchased by European collectors as examples of sophisticated Florentine design. They were especially favoured in Germany and the Low Countries and were prominently illustrated in paintings of fashionable gallery interiors there. For compositional subtlety, sensuous tactile values and sheer technical virtuosity, Giambologna’s work is virtually unequalled in any period or country.
Born in Flanders Giovanni Bologna (1524-1608), or short Giambologna went to Rome to study antique sculpture from about 1550 to 1553. He then travelled through Florence where he was persuaded to stay. He became sculptor to the Medici family and thus became one of the most influential sculptors of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. For half a century Giambologna dominated Florentine sculpture, carving an ever more impressive series of statue groups in marble: Samson Slaying a Philistine (1560–62), Florence Triumphant over Pisa (1563–75), the Rape of a Sabine (1582), Hercules Slaying a Centaur (1595–1600). In addition, Giambologna produced several extraordinary bronze statues. By ca. 1570 Giambologna had become the most influential sculptor in Europe. Apart from the fame that his monumental statues in Florence inevitably brought, his style was disseminated in the form of small bronze reproductions of his masterworks, or statuettes, which he composed independently as elegant ornaments for the interior. These were used by the Medici as diplomatic gifts for friendly heads of state, and were also eagerly purchased by European collectors as examples of sophisticated Florentine design. They were especially favoured in Germany and the Low Countries and were prominently illustrated in paintings of fashionable gallery interiors there. For compositional subtlety, sensuous tactile values and sheer technical virtuosity, Giambologna’s work is virtually unequalled in any period or country.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Entombment of Christ (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Gilt bronze panel in carved chestnut frame, sculptured in high relief |
| Brief description | Panel, bronze gilt in carved chestnut frame, sculptured in high relief, with the Entombment of our Saviour, after Giambologna, Florence, first half of the sixteenth century |
| Physical description | Relief in gilt bronze. The tomb is seen in the left centre in a cave under a hill. The body of Christ is supported by three male figures. In the right foreground are two standing men in left profile, and in the left foreground are three holy women in profile to the right. Behind them appear the heads of two other figures. In the left upper corner is a clump of four tree trunks, in the centre at the top is a fifth tree, and the trunk of another appears to the right. In the distance on the right are the city of Jerusalem and the hill of Calvary with two crosses. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | Bought in 1866. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | This is a gilt bronze relief after Jean Boulogne (Giovanni Bologna), called Giambologna (1529-1608), made in the first half of the 16th century in Florence. It represents the Entombment of Christ. The relief is a replica of one of the four bronze reliefs at the back of the altar commissioned by Cardinal Ferdinando de'Medici from Giovanni Bologna in 1588 for the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The relief in Jerusalem appears to be the same size as the present relief. The handling of the figures appears as a whole to be tighter and less expressive than in the original, and the detail of the foreground and the interior of the cave is handled less naturalistically. Born in Flanders Giovanni Bologna (1524-1608), or short Giambologna went to Rome to study antique sculpture from about 1550 to 1553. He then travelled through Florence where he was persuaded to stay. He became sculptor to the Medici family and thus became one of the most influential sculptors of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. For half a century Giambologna dominated Florentine sculpture, carving an ever more impressive series of statue groups in marble: Samson Slaying a Philistine (1560–62), Florence Triumphant over Pisa (1563–75), the Rape of a Sabine (1582), Hercules Slaying a Centaur (1595–1600). In addition, Giambologna produced several extraordinary bronze statues. By ca. 1570 Giambologna had become the most influential sculptor in Europe. Apart from the fame that his monumental statues in Florence inevitably brought, his style was disseminated in the form of small bronze reproductions of his masterworks, or statuettes, which he composed independently as elegant ornaments for the interior. These were used by the Medici as diplomatic gifts for friendly heads of state, and were also eagerly purchased by European collectors as examples of sophisticated Florentine design. They were especially favoured in Germany and the Low Countries and were prominently illustrated in paintings of fashionable gallery interiors there. For compositional subtlety, sensuous tactile values and sheer technical virtuosity, Giambologna’s work is virtually unequalled in any period or country. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 67-1866 |
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| Record created | May 13, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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