The Entombment

The Entombment by Andrea Mantegna, executed between 1470 and 1480, is a masterful example of early Renaissance printmaking. This powerful composition was created using the demanding technique of engraving, rendered in rich brown ink on laid paper. Mantegna, an influential Italian artist working during the period 1401 to 1500, was crucial in establishing the artistic legitimacy of prints, treating them with the same seriousness as his panel paintings and frescoes.

In this sacred scene, Mantegna depicts the final, agonizing stage of Christ’s Passion, emphasizing the grief and physical burden borne by the mourners as they lower Christ’s body into the sarcophagus. Typical of Mantegna’s intense, classicizing style, the work features figures modeled with sculptural precision, recalling ancient Roman funeral art. The composition is built around a profound spatial recession, often achieved through dramatic, low vantage points, which lend the forms a stark, monumental quality. The artist employs sharp, precise lines characteristic of the burin technique, manipulating the density of cross-hatching to create deep shadows and define volume.

As one of the most celebrated early prints, The Entombment demonstrates Mantegna’s profound influence on subsequent generations of draftsmen and engravers throughout Italy and Northern Europe. His technical brilliance helped disseminate the visual language of the Renaissance far beyond the walls of courtly chapels. This significant piece is currently held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Because of its age and profound cultural importance, high-resolution reproductions of this historic masterwork are often available for study and enjoyment through various public domain initiatives, ensuring the continued accessibility of these foundational Renaissance prints.