Scene
Six life-sized figures press forward into the viewer’s space as they lower Christ’s limp body onto a large stone slab. The group forms a compact, fan-shaped mass paused in a moment of tense suspension.
The Entombment of Christ
Caravaggio
1603
Figures
Christ’s body is carried by John the Evangelist and Nicodemus, while the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Mary of Clopas stand behind in varying states of grief.
Symbolism
The projecting stone slab functions as both a tomb stone and a symbolic foundation stone, alluding to Christ as the rock on which the Church is built.
Craft
Caravaggio uses tenebrism, an extreme form of chiaroscuro, where a concentrated beam of light isolates the figures against a nearly black background.
Impact
Widely regarded as one of Caravaggio’s greatest masterpieces, the painting has been celebrated since the 17th century as a touchstone of Baroque religious art.
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