The Lamentation over the Dead Christ
ca. 1540–45 (?)
Medium
Etching and drypoint
Dimensions
sheet: 8 1/4 x 5 5/8 in. (21 x 14.3 cm)
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(66)
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Andrea Schiavone, also known as Andrea Meldola, created this intimate print around 1540–45 during the height of the Venetian Renaissance. The subject depicts the Lamentation, a poignant moment in Christian tradition where the Virgin Mary and followers mourn over Christ’s lifeless body after the Crucifixion. Schiavone’s composition captures raw emotion through expressive gestures and a compact, vertical format that draws the viewer close to the central figures. Executed in etching and drypoint, the work highlights the artist’s skill with printmaking techniques that were still evolving in the m...
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...