Artwork
Deposition (after Antonio Canova)
Deposition (after Antonio Canova) is an oil painting by the Biedermeier artist Bernardino Nocchi. It dates from 1800 and is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts the Deposition of Christ, the moment when Jesus's body is taken down from the cross following the Crucifixion.
The painting depicts the Deposition of Christ, the moment when Jesus's body is taken down from the cross following the Crucifixion. Classified as a religious work, Bernardino Nocchi's oil-on-canvas composition is recorded as depicting Jesus Christ and Mary, situating the Virgin among the mourners gathered around her son's body, a standard element of Deposition iconography that emphasizes maternal grief and the human cost of the Passion.
As a copy after Antonio Canova, the work translates the Neoclassical sculptor's treatment of the sacred subject into paint, preserving the devotional focus on Christ's lifeless form and the mourning Virgin. The religious genre designation and the inclusion of Mary alongside Christ frame the image as a meditation on sacrifice and bereavement rather than a narrative of triumph, aligning the painting with the contemplative tradition of Passion imagery that Canova's original helped shape.
Technique & Style
The painting is executed in oil on canvas, a support typical of early nineteenth-century religious works. The composition derives from Antonio Canova’s neoclassical style, rendered with smooth brushwork and muted tonal modeling characteristic of Bernardino Nocchi’s academic approach. The handling emphasizes clarity of line and balanced spatial relationships, reflecting the formal conventions of devotional imagery in the period.
History & Provenance
The painting is an oil-on-canvas work by Bernardino Nocchi dated to 1800, executed as a copy after Antonio Canova's composition. According to the cataloguing record, the work entered the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, where it is currently held.
The sources provide only limited provenance information beyond the institutional holding and the inception date of 1800; details of an earlier ownership chain, specific commission, or intermediate custody are not documented in the available records.
The painting Deposition (after Antonio Canova) by Bernardino Nocchi is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Created in 1800, the work is an oil on canvas measuring 88 cm in height and 65.5 cm in width. The provided sources identify the institution as the current location of the piece but do not list a specific inventory or accession number. Additionally, the available documentation contains no record of the work's exhibition history.
Overview
Deposition (after Antonio Canova) is an oil painting by Bernardino Nocchi, created in 1800. It is a representation of a pivotal scene in Christian iconography.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Bernardino or Giovanni Bernardino Nocchi was an Italian painter, mainly of sacred and historic subjects.
