Venetian Set: Entombment of Christ

1741

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Dominant colour

Venetian Set: Entombment of Christ is a 1741 by John Baptist Jackson, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: John Baptist Jackson
When & what style?: 1741 · Baroque
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

This engraving shows Christ’s body being laid in a tomb. The figures are carved in deep shadows and bright highlights. Jackson used a method called chiaroscuro woodcut, where inked blocks print light and dark in one press. Only a handful of artists tried this style in England. Jackson learned it in Venice after meeting Italian printmakers. His work stands out for its bold, sculptural figures. Jackson’s prints remind me of Rembrandt’s etchings. Look for Rembrandt’s etchings at The Cleveland Museum of Art.

The story of this work

Overview

Jackson is the best known 18th-century specialist in chiaroscuro woodcuts. Woodcuts were not popular at this time, and the chiaroscuro technique never took hold in England, but he may have developed his interest in the medium from the Italian nobleman and printmaker Antonio Zanetti who reproduced his collection of Parmigianino drawings as chiaroscuros when in England around 1720. Jackson moved to Venice, where, in 1739, the great English patron Consul Joseph Smith and two other supporters commissioned him to produce chiaroscuro woodcuts after 17 paintings by the Venetian masters Titian, Paolo…

Read the full account in the museum source.