The Entombment

This – presumably Antwerp – painting depicts Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus as they lay Christ’s lifeless body into the tomb. Joseph holds the body by the shoulders while Nicodemus, cloaked in gold brocade, holds the shroud in which Christ’s body had been wrapped. Behind him on the left Mary Magdalene carries the jar of ointment. John the Evangelist is…

This – presumably Antwerp – painting depicts Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus as they lay Christ’s lifeless body into the tomb. Joseph holds the body by the shoulders while Nicodemus, cloaked in gold brocade, holds the shroud in which Christ’s body had been wrapped. Behind him on the left Mary Magdalene carries the jar of ointment. John the Evangelist is comforting Jesus’ mother, Mary. The composition of this entombment was inspired by a carving in Albrecht Dürer’s engravings of The Small Passion. The anonymous master owes his name to a painting of Mary Magdalene, which originally belonged to the Marchese Giovanni Battista Mansi which is now owned by the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin. His refined style is characterised by realism and attention to detail, a sober colour palette and the serenity of the figures.