Lamentation (Gerard David)

Lamentation of Christ
Artist Gerard David
Year 1515-1523 (1515-1523)
Medium Oil on oak
Dimensions 63 cm × 61.5 cm (25 in × 24.2 in)
Location National Gallery, London, UK
Accession NG1078

The Lamentation of Christ is a painting by the painter and manuscript illuminator Gerard David, originally a wing of a now dismantled and lost altarpiece.[1][2]

Description

It portrays the body of Christ wrapped in his shroud and being anointed. Mary Magdalene is at his feet, as the Virgin Mary holds him in her arms, weeping for his death watched over by Saint John. Four other grieving figures are present; they may be Saint Anne, the mother of the Virgin, and women who followed Christ.[3][4]

Style

Another Lamentation (c. 1515–1520) by Gerard David in the Philadelphia Museum of Art

While its exact dating is debated, it seems likely that it was completed between 1515 and 1523. This painting and David's the Adoration of the Kings were two wings from a single altarpiece. The theme of the Lamentation of Christ was common in medieval and Renaissance art, although this treatment, dating back to a subject known as the Anointing of Christ, is unusual for the period. David was influenced by Jan van Eyck's approach to realism. David was innovative in his depiction of religious subjects, which he represented not as icons but rather as approachable individuals. Additionally, David was known for the originality of his treatment of color and light.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Gerard David". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2014. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  2. ↑ "lamentation". /www.google.com. Retrieved 2014. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  3. ↑ "lamentation". /www.google.com. Retrieved 2014. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  4. ↑ "gerard-david-lamentation". www.nationalgallery.org.uk.
  5. ↑ "Gerard David". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2014. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)

External links

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