Lamentation over the Dead Christ
Medium
Woodcut
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1927
Accession Number
27.78.2(63)
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
This woodcut by Andrea Schiavone (also known as Andrea Meldola), created in the 1550s, portrays the Lamentation over the Dead Christ—a deeply moving scene of mourning that has long held significance in Christian. The composition centers on human figures gathered around Christ’s body, conveying profound grief and compassion in the aftermath of the Crucifixion. As a print, it reflects the era’s growing interest in devotional imagery that could reach wide audiences beyond church walls. Woodcuts like this one were valued in the sixteenth century for their ability to combine bold lines with expres...
About the Artist
Andrea Schiavone (Andrea Meldola) · 1510–1563
Andrea Schiavone, born Andrea Meldolla around 1510 or 1515 in Zara (modern Zadar, Croatia), in Venetian-ruled Dalmatia, hailed from a family rooted in Meldola near Forlì in Romagna, Emilia-Romagna. His father, Simon Meldolla, served as a garrison commander there, and both parents originated from Meldola, where the family held property into the early 16th century. Nicknamed "Schiavone"—"the Slav"—a...