The Entombment with the Four Birds

The Entombment with the Four Birds is a seminal print by the Italian Renaissance master Andrea Mantegna, executed primarily through the challenging technique of engraving. Produced sometime between 1460 and 1506, this work highlights the artist’s foundational role in the development of printmaking in Italy during the Quattrocento and early Cinquecento. Mantegna’s influence was crucial in establishing the artistic credibility of prints as independent works of art, rather than merely reproductive tools.

As an entombment scene, the composition typically centers on the body of Christ being lowered into the sarcophagus, surrounded by mourning figures whose grief is rendered with stark, dramatic intensity. Mantegna is renowned for his precise handling of line and his mastery of perspective, both of which are evident in this piece. His figures often possess a sculpted, intensely classical quality, echoing the Roman antiquity that profoundly inspired artists of the early Italian Renaissance. The deliberate use of dense cross-hatching to model form ensures that even this small-scale engraving possesses a monumental power characteristic of Mantegna’s broader oeuvre.

The specific detail of the "Four Birds," which gives the work its full title, remains a point of scholarly interest, potentially referring to symbols of the Passion or specific mourning traditions. This intricate example of early prints is held in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, providing crucial insight into Mantegna’s profound legacy and the dissemination of his designs across Italy. Prints derived from his work are often found in public domain collections globally, testifying to the enduring importance of this master of graphic arts.