The Lamentation

About this work

You see a crowd around a dead man. His body lies flat. A few people bend over him, hands raised. The background is dark and plain. This engraving isn’t a painting. It’s cut into metal, then inked and pressed onto paper. The lines are fine and sharp, like scratches. The artist used cross-hatching to show shadow and depth without color. Look for how the lines build the scene. The National Gallery of Art, Washington holds this piece.