Artwork
The Lamentation and the Entombment
The Lamentation and the Entombment is a tempera painting by the Early Renaissance artist Bartolomeo di Tommaso. It dates from 1445 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work functions as a devotional object, inviting viewers to contemplate the suffering of Jesus and the sorrow of his followers during these pivotal events.
The artwork depicts two sequential moments from the Passion of Christ: the Lamentation and the Entombment. As a religious painting created in 1445, the composition centers on the figure of Christ, shown in the aftermath of his crucifixion. The iconography includes the Virgin Mary and other mourners gathered around the deceased body, expressing grief over the loss.
The scene transitions into the preparation for burial, capturing the somber ritual of placing Christ in the tomb. This dual narrative serves to emphasize the themes of sacrifice, mourning, and the physical reality of death within the Christian tradition. The work functions as a devotional object, inviting viewers to contemplate the suffering of Jesus and the sorrow of his followers during these pivotal events.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in tempera on panel, a standard technique for mid-fifteenth-century Italian devotional painting. Its modest dimensions, measuring 20.3 cm in height by 41 cm in width, indicate a small-format, horizontally oriented panel likely intended for private devotion. The narrow, elongated support accommodates the narrative compression of the Lamentation and Entombment into a single pictorial field, a compositional strategy characteristic of Bartolomeo di Tommaso's narrative panels.
The piece is classified as a religious painting and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
History & Provenance
The Lamentation and the Entombment is a tempera-on-panel painting created by the Italian artist Bartolomeo di Tommaso in 1445. The work, measuring 20.3 cm in height and 41 cm in width, depicts religious scenes including the Lamentation and Entombment of Christ. While the specific commissioning patron and original location are not detailed in the available records, the piece is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The creation date is consistently cited as 1445 across sources, establishing its origin in the mid-15th century. The painting remains a significant example of religious art from this period, preserved within the museum's holdings.
The panel, executed in tempera in 1445, is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it forms part of the museum's collection. Its modest dimensions, 20.3 cm in height by 41 cm in width, reflect its small-scale devotional format. The work depicts the Lamentation and Entombment of Christ, with the Virgin Mary among the figures portrayed. No specific accession number or detailed exhibition history is recorded in the available sources.
Overview
Bartolomeo di Tommaso, an Italian painter from the Umbro-Sienese tradition, completed The Lamentation and the Entombment in 1445. This tempera painting from the early Renaissance period depicts two pivotal biblical narratives: the mourning of Christ after his crucifixion and the preparation of his body for burial. The artwork is currently housed within the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Artist & collection
Artist
Bartolomeo di Tommaso, also known as Bartolomeo da Foligno (born in Foligno, c. 1400, active by 1425, died 1453–54) was an Italian painter of the Umbro-Sienese school.
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