The Entombment of Christ
Maker
(Artists)
1577-1640
1577-1640
Title
The Entombment of Christ
Date of Production
1615-16
Medium
oil on panel
Dimensions
Height: 83.1 cm (panel)
Width: 65.1 cm (panel)
Width: 65.1 cm (panel)
Accession Number
P.1978.PG.365
Mode of Acquisition
Count Antoine Seilern, bequest, 1978
Credit
The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)
Copyright
Work in the public domain
Location
On display
Keywords
Label Text
This unusually large oil sketch was probably made in preparation for an altarpiece that was never completed. Characterised by dramatic lighting, it depicts a group of mourners struggling to lower Christ’s limp body into his tomb. Peter Paul Rubens based the composition on an altarpiece by the Italian artist Caravaggio, a work he knew well from his earlier stay in Rome. Rubens often looked to other artists for inspiration in the creation of his own paintings. This was a common practice at the time. Far from being mere imitation, it showed knowledge of important works of the past and built on them to produce new inventions.
Provenance
Count Schönborn, Pommersfelden, by 1719; probably acquired from Schönborn collection after mid-19th century by M. Haro; Haro sale, Paris 30f. May 1892 (46); Baron Vitta, France. Acquired by Count Seilern in Paris, 1953; Princes Gate Bequest 1978.
Exhibition History
Rubens. The Power of Transformation, Kunsthistoriches Museum, Vienna, 17/10/2017-21/01/2018; Stadel Museum, Frankfurt, 08/02/2018-03/06/2018
Rubens - A Master in the Making, National Gallery, London, 26/10/2005-15/01/2006
Peter Paul Rubens - A Touch of Brilliance, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 20/09/2003-08/02/2004
Rubens - A Master in the Making, National Gallery, London, 26/10/2005-15/01/2006
Peter Paul Rubens - A Touch of Brilliance, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 20/09/2003-08/02/2004
Literature
Rubens - A Master in the Making, National Gallery, London, 2005-2006
Peter Paul Rubens - A Touch of Brilliance, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 2003-2004
cat. no. 49
Fig. p. pl. 49
Jaffé, Michael, Rubens and Italy, Oxford 1977
p. 58
Fig. p. pl. 177
Peter Paul Rubens - A Touch of Brilliance, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 2003-2004
cat. no. 49
Fig. p. pl. 49
Jaffé, Michael, Rubens and Italy, Oxford 1977
p. 58
Fig. p. pl. 177
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