Artwork
Christ Risen from the Tomb
Christ Risen from the Tomb is an oil painting by the Early Renaissance artist Ambrogio Bergognone. It dates from 1490 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Christ rises from the tomb in an oil on panel from around 1490. Bergognone keeps the lines and colors simple, giving the scene a sense of calm at a time when painting was growing more detailed and complex.
Subject & Meaning
By showing the risen Jesus, the work visualizes the triumph over death and the promise of eternal life, core tenets of the resurrection narrative.
The painting portrays the moment of Christ's emergence from the tomb after his resurrection, the central event of Christian faith. By showing the risen Jesus, the work visualizes the triumph over death and the promise of eternal life, core tenets of the resurrection narrative. The iconography emphasizes Christ's victory, likely through a radiant figure stepping from the sarcophagus, reinforcing the theological meaning of redemption and hope.
As a religious image from circa 1490, it served both devotional and didactic functions, reminding viewers of the foundational miracle upon which Christianity rests.
Technique & Style
Christ Risen from the Tomb is executed in oil on panel, a medium typical of late fifteenth-century Lombard practice and consistent with Bergognone's known working method. The panel has been thinned at some point, as evidenced by a piece of original wood from the back bearing two Austrian imperial export seals, now inset into a vertical member of the painting's cradle. The work measures 114.5 cm in height by 61.2 cm in width, a tall, narrow format suited to its devotional function. The composition centers on the resurrected Christ, rendered in a religious idiom characteristic of Bergognone's late career.
History & Provenance
The painting is dated to circa 1490. Its provenance begins on the Italian art market, after which it was exported from Milan; wooden seals bearing the Austrian imperial eagle and the fragmentary inscription 'per l'esportazione' indicate the export occurred between 1792 and 1835, and certainly before 1859–1860. The work then passed through Arthur L. Nicholson in London by 1915 and the Arthur U. Newton Galleries in New York by 1936.
In April 1945 it was acquired by the Samuel H. Kress Collection in New York, and in 1952 it was donated to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., where it remains. No information on the original commission is provided in the sources.
Context
The work, an oil on panel painted circa 1490 by Ambrogio Bergognone, portrays the resurrected Christ and is catalogued as a religious painting in the National Gallery of Art, Washington. Its early provenance includes export from Milan between 1792 and 1835, evidenced by Austrian imperial eagle seals on the panel's reverse that relate to the Brera export office. The painting passed through Arthur L. Nicholson by 1915 and the Arthur U. Newton Galleries by 1936, and was acquired by Samuel H. Kress in 1945 before being gifted to the National Gallery of Art in 1952.
Scholarship on the piece highlights both its Renaissance stylistic qualities and the significance of its seals for understanding nineteenth-century Italian art-market practices.
Overview
Christ Risen from the Tomb is an oil on panel painting dating to approximately 1490. The artwork portrays Jesus Christ ascending from his burial site, a foundational event in Christian doctrine. The artist employed a simplified approach to form and color, which imbues the composition with a notable sense of calm and peace.
Artist & collection
Artist
Ambrogio Bergognone (variously known as Ambrogio da Fossano, Ambrogio di Stefano da Fossano, Ambrogio Stefani da Fossano or as il Bergognone or Ambrogio Egogni, c.
