Lamentation (Gerard David)

Lamentation of Christ

Artist	Gerard David
Year	1515-1523
Type	Oil on oak
Dimensions	63 cm × 61.5 cm (25 in × 24.2 in)
Location	National Gallery, London, UK
Accession	NG1078

The Lamentation of Christ is a painting by the painter and manuscript illuminator Gerard David, originally a wing of a now dismantled and lost altarpiece.^[1][2]

Description

It portrays the body of Christ wrapped in his shroud and being anointed. Mary Magdalene is at his feet, as the Virgin Mary holds him in her arms, weeping for his death watched over by Saint John. Four other grieving figures are present; they may be Saint Anne, the mother of the Virgin, and women who followed Christ.^[3][4]

Style

Another Lamentation (c. 1515–1520) by Gerard David in the Philadelphia Museum of Art

While its exact dating is debated, it seems likely that it was completed between 1515 and 1523. This painting and David's the Adoration of the Kings were two wings from a single altarpiece. The theme of the Lamentation of Christ was common in medieval and Renaissance art, although this treatment, dating back to a subject known as the Anointing of Christ, is unusual for the period. David was influenced by Jan van Eyck's approach to realism. David was innovative in his depiction of religious subjects, which he represented not as icons but rather as approachable individuals. Additionally, David was known for the originality of his treatment of color and light.^[5]

References

1. "Gerard David". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2014.
2. "lamentation". /www.google.com. Retrieved 2014.
3. "lamentation". /www.google.com. Retrieved 2014.
4. "gerard-david-lamentation". www.nationalgallery.org.uk.
5. "Gerard David". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2014.

External links

• Gerard David : purity of vision in an age of transition, fully digitized text from The Metropolitan Museum of Art libraries