Sassoferrato Giovanni Battista Salvi The Entombment Sassoferrato (Giovanni Battista Salvi) (1609-1685)
Sassoferrato – Sassoferrato Giovanni Battista Salvi The Entombment
Edit attribution
Download full size: 969×1000 px (0,2 Mb)
Painter: Sassoferrato (Giovanni Battista Salvi)
Album navigation:
![Sassoferrato (Giovanni Battista Salvi) - Female Saint [Manner of]](http://cdn.gallerix.asia/j/S/1781292315/6370.webp)
![Sassoferrato (Giovanni Battista Salvi) - Praying Madonna [Workshop]](http://cdn.gallerix.asia/j/S/1781292315/2939.webp)
Filled with drama and reflecting the essence of human cruelty, this painting was created in 1507 by Raphael Santi, the great painter of the High Renaissance. Santi’s creation is the epitome of the talent of all the best geniuses of art throughout the Italian Renaissance. Religious subjects with such depressing intensity are not often found in the artist’s work, but the subject matter contributed to the creation of this painting. It was individually commissioned by Atalanta Baglioni, in memory of her son Grifonetto, who were members of a clan of mercenary families who made a huge fortune in the fighting of the wars of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Despite the community of the family, there were constant conflicts within the already grown clan.
ArtClub
Best Contemporary Atists
Description of Raphael Santi’s painting The Descent from the Cross
Filled with drama and reflecting the essence of human cruelty, this painting was created in 1507 by Raphael Santi, the great painter of the High Renaissance.
Santi’s creation is the epitome of the talent of all the best geniuses of art throughout the Italian Renaissance.
Religious subjects with such depressing intensity are not often found in the artist’s work, but the subject matter contributed to the creation of this painting.
It was individually commissioned by Atalanta Baglioni, in memory of her son Grifonetto, who were members of a clan of mercenary families who made a huge fortune in the fighting of the wars of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.
Despite the community of the family, there were constant conflicts within the already grown clan. For example, during a wedding feast, he killed his brother and his bride, and for this he himself fell at the hands of his own cousin.
According to legend, Raphael portrayed Grifonetto himself as Jesus Christ in a large altarpiece created for the church of St. Francis.
It depicts Jesus Christ killed after being crucified on the cross, surrounded by his followers and disciples. Deepest despondency and sadness befell them as they witnessed the cruel punitive measure to which their master had been subjected. Women and men, carefully caring for his body, carried the Savior away from the place of execution. Our Lady, already faint from the moral oppression that has befallen her, is no longer able even to look at her murdered son.
Despite all the tragedy of the story and the people depicted, the painting is filled with harmony, beautiful lines and colors, which the painter so appreciated. The crosses in the background, on one of which Jesus was executed, are already in the distance and do not overshadow the overall landscape of the painting, which carries the personification of the purity and lightness of the world through the Resurrection.
You cannot comment Why?
The artist has arranged the figures in a pyramidal structure, with the deceased at its base and the supporting individuals forming the ascending sides. This arrangement lends stability and visual weight to the scene while drawing attention to the central figure’s vulnerability. The use of light is significant; it illuminates the body and the faces of those closest to it, creating a stark contrast against the darker background. This highlights their emotional engagement with the event.
The landscape in the background provides context without distracting from the immediate drama. A distant hill features what appears to be another cross, subtly referencing the larger narrative of sacrifice and redemption. The sky is rendered in soft blues and whites, suggesting both tranquility and a sense of vastness that dwarfs the human figures below.
Beyond the literal depiction of an entombment, the painting seems to explore themes of loss, compassion, and faith. The woman’s gesture – her embrace of the deceased – suggests not only grief but also a profound connection and empathy. The mens posture conveys a sense of duty and reverence as they carefully handle the body.
The artist’s choice of color is deliberate; warm tones dominate the figures while cooler hues define the background, further emphasizing their separation from the surrounding world. The overall effect is one of quiet dignity and profound emotional depth, inviting contemplation on themes of mortality and spiritual solace.