Entombment of Christ
- Artist: Style ofItaly 14th century (Artists)Formerly attributed toGiottino (Artists)active ca. 1368 (Life dates)
- Date: (?possibly 19th century) 1800 - 1899
- Medium: tempera on panel
- Museum: The Courtauld Gallery
- Collection record: The Courtauld Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is the “Entombment of Christ,” a tempera on panel that dates to the 19th‑century, although its style points back to the Italian north of the 14th century. The work was once credited to Giottino, a painter active around 1368, which explains the careful handling of light and the subtle chiaroscuro that echoes that earlier period. The panel’s composition shows a quiet, almost theatrical setting: Christ’s body laid out on a simple bier, surrounded by mourners whose gestures convey both sorrow and reverence. The pigments, though slightly faded, retain a delicate luminosity that invites you to consider the emotional gravity of the moment. Notice how the artist uses tempera’s quick-drying nature to layer subtle color shifts, creating a sense of depth that would have been groundbreaking in its own time. Overall, the painting melds the technical precision of a medieval hand with the expressive urgency of a later period, offering a fascinating dialogue between eras.
See it in person
Entombment of Christ hangs in The Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House, London. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
