Italian school; early 17th century. "The Lamentation... Lot 9

Italian school; early 17th century. "The Lamentation of Christ". Oil on copper. It presents repainting on the pictorial surface. Measurements: 16 x 22 cm; 21 x 27 cm (frame). The mother-of-pearl skin of a recumbent Christ brings a theatrical and morbid light to this devotional scene. The subject matter, tonality and composition form an image that awakens the passion of the faithful, inviting them to reflect on Christ's last moments. In a landscape format, several figures are placed on the body of Jesus, the protagonist of the scene. The figures stand out for their monumentality and volume, taking up the whole of the surface, which is hidden from the viewer, even in the case of the figure in the background, who is almost unnoticed. Iconographically it is a highly emotive subject, the fruit of popular piety, which concentrates attention on the drama of the Passion and the loving and mournful contemplation, with a realistic and moving sense. In Byzantium, and in Byzantine-influenced representations, the figure of Christ rests on the anointing slab, where his corpse was perfumed and prepared for burial, which later in Italian art became the tomb. This scene is not referred to in the Gospels, but finds its origin in mystical literature and religious texts of piety, as well as in those of the confraternities of flagellants. In the canonical Gospels and in the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus it is narrated how Joseph of Arimathea buried the body of Jesus.