Artwork Page for The Entombment

Details / Information for The Entombment

The Entombment

1529–30

Parmigianino

(Italian, 1503–1540)
Culture
Italy, 16th century
Medium
etching
Support
Cream(1) laid paper
Measurements
Sheet: 27.1 x 20.4 cm (10 11/16 x 8 1/16 in.)
Credit Line
Dorothea Wright Hamilton Fund 1985.10
Catalogue raisonné
Bartsch 106 (as Reni, XVIII.300)
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

One of the most important Mannerist painters, Parmigianino was the first artist to exploit the fluid, expressive potential of etching. The graphic vocabulary of the day (derived from engraving techniques) consisted of parallel and cross-hatched lines. Etching, a new technique developed around 1510, freed the artist from both the traditional vocabulary of engraving and dependence on reproductive printmakers. Parmigianino used the medium to convey the grace and spontaneity of his pen and ink drawings. Of the twenty etchings attributed to him, this is generally considered his masterpiece.
A vertically oriented etching in fine, black-inked lines depicts people with light skin tones and elongated bodies clustered around Christ. Centrally, Christ's nude, slumped body is supported by mourners. To our left, a woman in flowing robes faints with her head tilted back. On the right, a bearded man gestures to our right. In the foreground, a crown of thorns lies before a rugged, rocky background with fabric draped above.

The Entombment

1529–30

Parmigianino

(Italian, 1503–1540)
Italy, 16th century

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