Where Is The Entombment of Christ? See It at Vatican Museums

Q: Where was The Entombment originally displayed?

Caravaggio painted it for the Chiesa Nuova (Santa Maria in Vallicella) in Rome. It was moved to the Vatican during the Napoleonic era and never returned to the church.

Q: Who is the figure carrying Christ?

Tradition identifies him as Nicodemus, whose face may be modeled on Michelangelo. Some scholars see this as Caravaggio's tribute to the great Renaissance master.

Q: Why is The Entombment important?

The painting's dramatic composition and lighting influenced generations of Baroque artists. Rubens, Rembrandt, and Géricault all created works responding to Caravaggio's powerful design.

Italian artist Caravaggio painted this The Entombment of Christ between 1603 and 1604 for the Chiesa Nuova in Rome. Christ's body is lowered onto a burial slab, supported by Nicodemus (whose face may be Michelangelo's) and John the Evangelist. Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Mary of Clopas grieve behind them.

The composition descends diagonally from the raised arms of the grieving women to Christ's hanging arm below. A stark stone slab juts toward viewers, as if the body might slide into our space. Dramatic chiaroscuro illuminates the scene against total darkness. The painting profoundly influenced Baroque art, with Rubens and others creating versions. It moved to the Vatican Museums' Pinacoteca during Napoleon's Italian campaign.

Caravaggio painted it for the Chiesa Nuova (Santa Maria in Vallicella) in Rome. It was moved to the Vatican during the Napoleonic era and never returned to the church.

Tradition identifies him as Nicodemus, whose face may be modeled on Michelangelo. Some scholars see this as Caravaggio's tribute to the great Renaissance master.

The painting's dramatic composition and lighting influenced generations of Baroque artists. Rubens, Rembrandt, and Géricault all created works responding to Caravaggio's powerful design.

The Entombment of Christ

Details

Where to See It

The Artist

More by Caravaggio

John the Baptist

Young Sick Bacchus

Saint Catherine of Alexandria

David and Goliath

Also at Vatican Museums

The Liberation of Saint Peter

The Parnassus

Apollo Belvedere

Sistine Chapel Ceiling

Related Baroque Works

Laocoön

The Laughing Cavalier

The Lacemaker

Woman Reading a Letter

Girl with the Red Hat

Girl with a Pearl Earring

Woman Holding a Balance

The Rokeby Venus

About The Entombment of Christ

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