Entombment of Christ (Pala Baglioni)
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| Entombment of Christ (Pala Baglioni) |
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| Raphael , 1507 |
| oil on wood |
| 176 × 184 cm |
| Borghese Gallery , Rome |
The Entombment of Christ is an altar painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Raphael from 1507. The picture, together with other works by Raphael, formed the central part of an altar in the church of San Francesco al Prato in Perugia .
description
The work shows a moving group of 10 figures at the burial of Jesus. Two porters picked up the body of Christ after the deposition from the cross and arrived at the entrance to the tomb. The bearer on the left is walking backwards to climb the first step of the crypt. Mary Magdalene , standing a little to the left of the center of the picture behind Christ, takes the hand of the corpse. To the left of her the disciples John and Joseph of Arimathäa (according to traditional iconography , he carries Christ by his shoulders; Nicodemus , who is missing in this depiction, but his legs). Mary , the mother of Jesus, passes out into the arms of some of the women who accompany her. In the background on the right the crucifixion hill rises with the three empty crosses. To the left of this is a hilly landscape with a town in the distance. Behind it a mountain range stretches across the horizon.
The picture is signed and dated lower left on the ledge (Raphael Urbinas MDVII) .
history
The client was Atlanta Baglioni, representative of a noble family from Perugia. The picture was supposed to be dedicated to her son Grifonetto, who was killed in the fighting for the rule of the Florentines in July 1500 in Perugia. This theory has been unchallenged since Jacob Burckhardt's 'Culture of the Renaissance'. The picture was intended to remind of the death of an innocent man and the agony of his mother. Traditionally, a portrait of Grifonetto Baglioni is seen in the right-hand bearer of the corpse, who in this representation replaces the assistant figure of Nicodemus. Another hint for the relation to the Baglioni son is that the clothes (precious top and shoes) identify him as noble compared to the other figures.
The painting was brought to an altar in the church of S. Francesco in Perugia in 1507, where it remained for 101 years until, according to the will of Cardinal Scipione Caffarelli Borghese, it was stolen at night and given as a gift to Pope Paul V ; he in turn gave it to the nephew for his art collection, so that the painting went irrevocably into the private property of the family . Since then it has been in the Villa Borghese in Rome. The citizens of Perugia, rightly angry because of the loss, received a copy of the work, made by Cavaliere d'Arpino , as reparation .
The kneeling figure on the right edge of the picture reveals that Raphael must have known Michelangelo's Tondo Doni (1504–1506). The posture of Christ's body is also reminiscent of Michelangelo's Roman Pietà (c. 1500). The cardboard boxes for Leonardo's and Michelangelo's frescoes in the Sala del Consiglio in the Palazzo della Signoria also seem to have impressed Raffael so much that he discarded the first, more static designs for the picture and now all of the figures grouped around the dead Christ are in represents physical and emotional movement.
“ And anyone who looks at the care and skill and grace of that picture has every reason to be amazed, for it amazes everyone who admires it because of the appearance of the figures, the beauty of the robes and, in general, the extraordinary quality that it exhibits in all areas. "
The success of the painting opened the door to Raffael in Rome. Vasari describes that after completing the 'Entombment' he went back to Florence, but was appointed to the court of Pope Julius II a short time later on the recommendation of Bramante , who was a distant relative of Raphael . Here he was entrusted with the design of the newly created papal chambers ( stamps ). According to other sources, Pope Julius II visited Perugia in 1506 in order to have a moderating effect on the Baglioni family and saw works by Raphael on this occasion, which prompted him to bring the artist to the papal court.
Sketches and studies (selection)
Raphael made a series of preliminary drawings that are now kept in various museums ( Ashmolean Museum in Oxford , British Museum in London , Louvre in Paris , Uffizi in Florence ). These sketches document the genesis of the work from the statics and grace of the figure composition in the style of Raphael's teacher Perugino to the violent agitation and figurative density of Leonardo and Michelangelo . According to Vasari, Raphael completed the picture in Perugia, whereas he made the preparatory cardboard in Florence.
One of the first studies on the entombment (1505)
Study (1507)
Study (ca.1506)
Anatomical study of the figure of Christ
Study (ca.1507)
Study with grid for transferring the sketch to the image carrier
Reconstruction of the altar
The complete altar structure in San Francesco al Prato included, in addition to the 'Entombment', a representation of the 'Eternal Among Angels' in the gable-shaped top (only one copy has survived), a frieze with the representation of putti and griffins and the three theological virtues (Faith , Love, hope) as monochrome works in the predella .
Possible reconstruction of the 'Pala Baglioni'
"The Eternal Among Angels"
Frieze with putti and griffins
The hope
Love
The belief
literature
- Giorgio Vasari , The Life of Raphael; Wagenbach publishing house 2004
- Artist monograph Raphael, H. Knackfuß (ed.), Bielefeld and Leipzig, Velhagen & Klasing publishing house 1907
- Hubert Lochner, Raffael and the renaissance altarpiece: The "Pala Baglioni" as a work of art in a sacred context (Acta Humaniora. Writings on art science and philosophy), Wiley-VCH, 1994
- Pathos, Expression and Movement: On the Aesthetics of Weimar Classicism 1796–1806, Martin Dönike, de Gruyter
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Stefano Zuffi: Italian painting. Könemann 2000. ISBN 3829004893
- ↑ a b Giorgio Vasari: The life of Raphael . Alessandro Nova (Ed.), Wagenbach Verlag 2004
- ↑ Bildatlas der Weltkulturen: The Renaissance, C. Black, M. Greengrass, D. Howarth, J. Lawrance, R. Mackenney, M. Rady, E. Welch; Bechtermünz Verlag 1994