1450
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Entombment with Three Birds is a 1450 by Andrea Mantegna, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This print shows a small cave where a group of people gather around a body wrapped in cloth. Two figures kneel at the front, one holding a candle, while others stand or sit nearby. Outside the cave, three birds perch on a tree branch, and a fence with crosses runs along the background. The artist used shading to create deep contrasts between light and dark, making the scene feel dramatic. The way the figures’ faces are lit while shadows fill the cave adds a sense of depth. Look up chiaroscuro to see how this technique works in other art.
The engraving *Entombment with Three Birds* by Andrea Mantegna depicts the burial of Jesus Christ. Printed on paper, the work is attributed to Mantegna rather than Giovanni Antonio da Brescia, despite earlier attributions. A maiolica panel from 1523 in the Salting Bequest replicates the composition, while another impression exists in the Ionides Bequest.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Andrea Mantegna (UK: , US: ; Italian: ; c. 1431 – September 13, 1506) was an Italian Renaissance painter, a student of Roman archaeology, and the son-in-law of Jacopo Bellini. Like other artists of the time, Mantegna…
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