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Sisto Badalocchio, 'Christ carried to the Tomb', after 1609

About the work

Overview

Christ’s body has been taken down from the Cross and is being carried on a shroud to his place of burial. His head rests limply on his shoulder; his pale, foreshortened body is the focus of a whole retinue of grieving figures, each expressing their sorrow in a different way.

This small picture is painted on copper, and the artist has exploited the material’s reflective properties by painting a night scene, contrasting the darkness of the cave with the flickering light provided by the flaming torch falling on the figures.

This picture was once attributed to Ludovico Carracci but is now thought to be by Sisto Badalocchio, and is closely related to a design by Annibale Carracci.

Key facts

Details

Full title
Christ carried to the Tomb
Artist dates
1585 - after 1621?
Date made
after 1609
Medium and support
oil on copper
Dimensions
43.7 × 33.6 cm
Acquisition credit
Bequeathed by Lt.-Col. J.H. Ollney, 1837
Inventory number
NG86
Location
Room 26
Collection
Main Collection
Frame
18th-century French Frame

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

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