Italian school; 17th century. "The Burial of Christ". Oil... Lot 38

Italian school; 17th century. "The Burial of Christ". Oil on copper. With label on the back of the Junta de Incautación. Provenance: L. Galdiano. It presents carved frame with slight faults. Measurements: 20 x 16 cm; 33,5 x 30 cm (frame). The painting represents the deposition of Christ in the tomb, the scene takes place in an interior space although open to the landscape in the right area of the composition. In the centre of the scene, the tomb rises up to accommodate the body of Jesus being laid in the tomb. We see the figure of the lifeless incarnation of Christ, surrounded by a multitude of figures arranged in a convex manner with respect to the viewer, thus inviting the viewer to become part of the scene and enter into it. The body of Jesus is depicted practically naked, barely covered by the "perizonium" or cloth of purity, but on the sheet that had been used to take him down from the cross and now serves as a shroud. Joseph of Arimathea, the rich man who gave up his tomb to bury Jesus, according to the Gospels, holds Christ by the shoulders. Nicodemus, a Pharisee and "Jewish leader" according to John's text, holds him by the feet, although in this case he holds his waist. We can also identify the three Marys, contemplating with expressions of pain as Christ is being buried. The image is completed with the figure of the Virgin, Saint John, situated next to Christ's mother, and an angel who contemplates the scene and who seems to be patiently waiting as if trying to guide Christ's lifeless body towards eternity. Without abandoning the rigour and prominence of the drawing, the artist uses bright tones such as yellow and red to highlight the scene, which are in turn enhanced by the qualities of the use of copper as a pictorial support. A noteworthy feature of this work is the Junta de Incautación label on the back, which reads L. Galdiano as the provenance, perhaps alluding to the famous art collection of Lázaro Galdiano, a Spanish financier, journalist, publisher and art collector who, at the time of his death, owned one of the largest and most significant art collections in Spain. He was described in 1940 as "one of the best patrons of culture in 19th century Spain.