The Entombment of Christ

"The Entombment of Christ," by Andrea Mantegna, after Italian, 1431-1506 [1465/1475], is a significant example of Renaissance draftsmanship classified as a drawing. Executed in pen and brown ink on cream tracing paper, this work, dating roughly between 1451 and 1506, showcases the meticulous attention to disegno (design or drawing) characteristic of the Italian masters. The technique utilizes fine hatching and cross-hatching to build form and deep shadow, allowing for intense emotional expression within the scene of Christ’s final burial preparation. The choice of tracing paper suggests this drawing may have served as a modello or preliminary study, perhaps intended for replication as a print or utilized in the planning of a larger painting.

This composition focuses on the profound grief and physical exhaustion of the mourners attending to Christ’s body. Such intense religious narratives were central to visual culture in Italy during the fifteenth century, driving innovation in perspective and human anatomy. Mantegna, known for his rigorous classicism and powerful compositions, was highly influential, particularly among printmakers, ensuring his designs were broadly distributed beyond the courts of Northern Italy.

This masterwork of preparatory study is housed within the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. The piece offers scholars a crucial opportunity to analyze the preparatory stages of Italian Renaissance art production. Because of its cultural significance and age, this important work resides in the public domain, facilitating academic research and making high-quality prints and reproductions widely accessible for educational purposes.