Gaudenzio Ferrari, 'Christ rising from the Tomb', about 1540

Christ rises in triumph from his open tomb, his burial shroud billowing around him like a mandorla – an almond shaped aureole of holy light – against the pale blue sky. In his right hand he holds a standard with a fluttering white pennant marked with the sign of the Cross, symbolising his victory over death. His foot, stepping on to the pink marble sarcophagus, and his hand are wounded with the stigmata – the holes from the nails, and we can see the cut in his side inflicted during his crucifixion. He looks down at us and points upward to heaven. Behind him a mountainous landscape stretches to the horizon.

This painting was the central panel of the high altarpiece painted in about 1540 for the church of S. Pietro at Maggianico, near Lecco, on the shore of Lake Como in northern Italy. The town of Lecco is surrounded by mountains like those in the painting.

It is not easy to reconstruct the original appearance of the altarpiece, which was comprised of several panels – a type of altarpiece known as a polyptych. It seems that on the right of Christ rising from the Tomb was a panel showing Saint Roch, and on the left was Saint Christopher carrying the infant Christ. A panel almost certainly of Saint Andrew, which is also in the National Gallery’s collection, was in the centre of the lower part of the altarpiece with Saints Peter, Bernard, Ambrose and Anthony at its sides. The lowest row of panels (known as the predella) is in the Castello Sforzesco, Milan. It is monochrome and depicts scenes of Christ and the apostles. Monochrome predella panels were a particular feature of sixteenth-century art from this region. All the panels of the altarpiece were enclosed in a gilded frame.

The altarpiece was situated above the high altar, which was made of a similar pink marble to that of Christ’s painted tomb, creating a clear visual connection between the risen body of Christ depicted in the altarpiece and the Eucharist – the body of Christ – on the altar during Communion.

At the beginning of the nineteenth century the altarpiece was removed from the church, broken up and the panels were sold. We do not know the whereabouts of the larger panels, apart from the two now in the National Gallery.

A triptych (a three panel altarpiece) by a collaborator of Gaudenzio Ferrari of Saints Ambrose, Anthony Abbot and Jerome remains in the church of S. Pietro at Maggianico, which has caused further confusion. However, this was not part of the original high altarpiece. The triptych was commissioned by the Ghislanzoni family for the altar of Saint Anthony.