Spanish school, possibly from Madrid, second half... Lot n° 42

Spanish school, possibly from Madrid, second half of the seventeenth century. "Lamentation over the Dead Christ". Oil on canvas. Frame of the nineteenth century. The frame needs restoration. Measurements: 205 x 160 cm; 224 x 180 cm (frame). In this work the theme of the lamentation of the body of Christ is captured in a more intimate way than in previous periods, simplifying the composition and eliminating all non-figurative elements. Thus, the body of the dead Christ articulates the image, located in the center, and around him the other figures are placed: St. John and Mary Magdalene to his left, the Virgin holding the dead body, with her face tilted upwards, in an attitude of deep pain. The landscape background has been eliminated, replacing it with an undefined exterior space, worked in a neutral and dark tone that only lightens in the central area. Iconographically, the scene of the lamentation or weeping over the body of the dead Christ is part of the cycle of the Passion, and is inserted between the Descent from the Cross and the Holy Burial. It narrates the moment in which the body of Christ is deposited on a shroud (in other cases, on the stone of anointing) and they are arranged around him, bursting in laments and sobs, his mother, St. John, the holy women, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. It is a very emotional theme, the fruit of popular piety, which concentrates attention on the drama of the Passion and the loving and sorrowful contemplation, with a realistic and moving sense. It is a work strongly influenced by naturalism, with a range of monochromatic tendency that revolves around ochre, earthy and crimson tones. Likewise, the composition draws from the same influence: the characters all appear in the foreground, very close to the viewer. It is worth mentioning the importance of the lighting aspect; it is not a tenebrist light, but it is rich in chiaroscuro contrasts, through which the painter models the anatomy of Christ, the faces and the rest of the elements.