Artwork
Burial of Christ
Burial of Christ is an unspecified painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Leandro Bassano. It dates from 1590 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Leandro Bassano's 1579 painting depicts the Entombment of Christ, a specific moment in the Passion narrative where the body of Jesus is prepared for burial.
Leandro Bassano's 1579 painting depicts the Entombment of Christ, a specific moment in the Passion narrative where the body of Jesus is prepared for burial. As a work of religious art, the composition focuses entirely on the figure of Jesus Christ as the central subject. The imagery serves to illustrate the solemn transition between the Crucifixion and the Resurrection, emphasizing the physical reality of Christ's death through the act of entombment. This representation aligns with traditional Christian iconography intended to evoke devotion and contemplation of the sacrifice.
Technique & Style
The painting depicts the entombment of Jesus Christ and is executed in oil on canvas. It measures 82 cm in height and 60.5 cm in width, reflecting a compositional focus on the solemnity of the burial scene through naturalistic detail and restrained coloration characteristic of late Renaissance Venetian practice.
History & Provenance
The Burial of Christ by Leandro Bassano is dated 1579, aligning with the artist’s mature period in Venetian painting.
The work entered the holdings of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, where it remains today. No documented commission or early provenance beyond its museum acquisition is recorded in the sources.
The painting Burial of Christ by Leandro Bassano is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. Created in 1579, the work depicts the entombment of Jesus Christ and measures 82 cm in height by 60.5 cm in width. The provided sources identify the museum as the current location and confirm the artist and date of inception, but they do not list a specific inventory or accession number for the piece. Furthermore, the available documentation contains no record of past or future exhibitions featuring this artwork.
Overview
Leandro Bassano’s Burial of Christ (1590) presents a somber tableau of the moment when Jesus’ body is prepared for interment. The composition gathers several figures around a shrouded corpse, set against a dimly lit background that hints at a distant landscape. The work exemplifies the early Baroque’s focus on emotional intensity and narrative clarity.
Artist & collection
Artist
Leandro Bassano (10 June 1557 – 15 April 1622), also called Leandro dal Ponte, was an Italian Renaissance painter from Bassano del Grappa who was awarded a knighthood by the Doge of Venice.
