The Lamentation
- Object:
- Place of origin:
- Date:
- Artist/Maker:
- Materials and Techniques:
Painted and gilt pinewood
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This small relief was probably part of a predella on an altarpiece, and may well have been made in Toledo. Its Italianate qualities suggest it could be by a sculptor working in the wake of the painter-sculptor Gaspar Becerra (1520-1568), who had spent a number of years in Rome, and Juan Bautista Vázquez the Elder (1510-1588).
Physical description
Painted and gilt pinewood relief depicting the Lamentation. The relief has an integral bevelled frame. In the centre the dead Christ is supported by the Virgin and St John. One of the holy women is in the background. To the right are St Mary Magdalene, kneeling and another Mary. Standing separately at either end of the composition are (left) Nicodemus, holding pincers, and (right) Joseph of Arimathaea, holding the crown of thorns and the shroud. The figures are set on a rocky ground, which protrudes into the frame at the sides, as do the heads at the top. This piece displays its original polychromy, although the colours have faded and changed tonally, probably due to surface dirt, as well as varnish and wax being applied as a protective layer. The technique of 'esgrafiado', the application of gold under colour, which is then scratched through, has been employed over much of the surface.
Place of Origin
Toledo, Spain (made)
Date
1560-1570 (made)
Artist/maker
unknown (production)
Materials and Techniques
Painted and gilt pinewood
Dimensions
Height: 30.9 cm, Width: 74.8 cm, Depth: 1 cm
Object history note
Bought by John Charles Robinson from Vincente de pablo, Toledo for £3 3s. 2d.
Descriptive line
Panel relief, the Lamentation, painted and gilt pinewood, Toledo, Spain, ca. 1560-70
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Trusted, Marjorie. Spanish Sculpture. London : Victoria and Albert Museum, 1996. 172 p., ill. ISBN 1851771778.
Inventory of Art Objects Acquired in the Year 1864 In: Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, Arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol I. London: Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868, p. 53
Materials
Gilt; Pinewood
Techniques
Painting; Gilding; Relief
Subjects depicted
Jesus Christ; Mary (Virgin Mary); Mary Magdalene (Saint); John (Saint John the Evangelist); Joseph (of Arimethaea); Nicodemus; Shroud; Crown (headdress)
Categories
Sculpture; Religion; Christianity; Reliefs
Collection code
SCP
