The Lamentation over the Dead Christ thumbnail 1
Not on display

This object consists of 7 parts, some of which may be located elsewhere.

The Lamentation over the Dead Christ

Group
ca. 1495-1500 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Florence (made)

The Dead Christ supported on the lap of the Virgin, his head supported by St John the Evangelist and his feet by St Mary Magdalen. The group is closely related to another formerly in the Staatliche Museen, Berlin, and both seem to derive from a composition painted by Perugino (after 1450-1523) for the church of San Giusto in about 1494-95 (now in the Uffizi, Florence).
The group was formerly ascribed to Giovanni dell Robbia's workshop.

Object details

Categories
Christianity
Religion
Sculpture
Object type
Group
Parts
This object consists of 7 parts.

  • Group
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Fragment
  • Fragment
  • Fragment
  • Fragments
TitleThe Lamentation over the Dead Christ (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Terracotta
Terracotta
Brief description
Group, terracotta, the Lamentation over the Dead Christ (Pietà), Italy (Florence), ca.1495-1500
Physical description
In the centre of the group the seated Virgin, with right hand raised, holds up the left arm of Christ, whose body rests horizontally on her lap. The head of Christ is supported by St. John the Evangelist, kneeling on the left on his right knee, and gazing outwards at the spectator. On the right St. Mary Magdalen, with right hand on her breast, gazes downwards at the feet of Christ which she supports on her left palm.
Dimensions
  • At maximum point height: 101.6cm
Gallery label
The Dead Christ supported on the lap of the Virgin, his head supported by St John the Evangelist and his feet by St Mary Magdalen. The group is closely related to another formerly in the Staatliche Museen, Berlin, and both seem to derive from a composition painted by Perugino (after 1450-1523) for the church of San Giusto in about 1494-95 (now in the Uffizi, Florence).
Object history
Purchased in Florence (Gagliardi, £150).
Historical context
The group is related to one with the same subject formerly in the Staatliche Museen, Berlin. Both find their closest point of reference within the oevre of Giovanni della Robbia in the foreground figures of the Lamentation altarpieces in the Museo Nazionale (Bargello), Florence and in the Gardner Museum, Boston. The closest analogy for the particular composition in painting is in a Lamentation by Perugino in the Accademia, Florence (ca. 1493).
Production
The group was formerly ascribed to Giovanni della Robbia's workshop.
Subjects depicted
Christ
Mary Magdalen (Magdalene)
St John the Evangelist
Virgin Mary
Summary
The Dead Christ supported on the lap of the Virgin, his head supported by St John the Evangelist and his feet by St Mary Magdalen. The group is closely related to another formerly in the Staatliche Museen, Berlin, and both seem to derive from a composition painted by Perugino (after 1450-1523) for the church of San Giusto in about 1494-95 (now in the Uffizi, Florence).
The group was formerly ascribed to Giovanni dell Robbia's workshop.
Bibliographic references
  • Maclagan, Eric and Longhurst, Margaret H. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture. Text. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1932, p. 74
  • Pope-Hennessy, John. Catalogue of Italian Sculpture in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Volume I: Text. Eighth to Fifteenth Century. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1964, pp. 238, 239
  • Gentilini, Giancarlo. ed. I Della Robbia, La Scultura invetriata nel Rinascimento. Florence: 1992, illus. p. 260
  • Warren, Jeremy. 'Forgery in Risorgimento Florence: Bastianini's Giovanni delle Bande Nere in the Wallace Collection.' In: Burlington Magazine, CXLVII, November 2005, p.740, fig. 23
  • Inventory of Art Objects Acquired in the Year 1863. 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. 35
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
8882:1-1863

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O297502/the-lamentation-over-the-dead-group-unknown/
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