The Entombment

c. 1470/ 1475

Andrea Mantegna

Associated Names
Andrea Mantegna

Artist, Paduan, c. 1431 - 1506

The artwork is a detailed, horizontal engraving depicting a biblical scene. At the center, a group of figures is gathered around the lifeless body of a man being carried into a tomb. The figures exhibit expressions of grief and solemnity. To the left, two men support the body, while a woman with long flowing hair raises her arms. Another woman, with a covered head, assists in carrying the deceased. On the right, a man stands with his hands clasped in prayer, gazing upwards. In the background, three crosses on a hill are visible. The composition features intricate line work, creating texture and depth, with the rocky landscape. An inscription is visible at the base of the tomb.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    engraving in brown ink on laid paper; laid down

  • Credit Line

    Patrons' Permanent Fund

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to and within plate mark): 29.9 x 44.2 cm (11 3/4 x 17 3/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1986.98.1

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Hind 'Engravings', Vol. 5, p.10, no. 2, State only

Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1992

  • Andrea Mantegna, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1992, no. 39.

  • Andrea Mantegna, Royal Academey of Arts, London, 1992, no. 39.

1995

  • Recent Acquisitions of Works of Art on Paper, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1995.

2011

  • Antico: The Golden Age of Renaissance Bronzes, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; The Frick Collection, New York, 2011-2012, as The Deposition (shown only in Washington).

Bibliography

1938

  • Hind, Arthur M. Early Italian Engraving; a critical catalogue with complete reproductions of all the prints described. 7 vols. London: Bernard Quaritch Ltd., 1938-1948.

1985

  • Christie's, CHATSWORTH, London: 12/5/85, no.49.

1992

  • Boorsch, Suzanne, et al. Andrea Mantegna. Exh. cat. Royal Academy of Arts, London; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. London and Milan, 1992: 39 (as state 2 of 2).

1993

  • Christiansen, Keith. "The Case for Mantegna as Printmaker." The Burlington Magazine 135/1086 (1993): 604-612, fig. 1.

2000

  • Royalton-Kisch, Martin, and David Ekserdjian. "The Entombment of Christ: A Lost Mantegna Owned by Rembrandt?" Apollo (March 2000): 52-56.

2001

  • Fletcher, Shelley. "A Closer Look at Mantegna's Prints." Print Quarterly 18/1 (2001): 3-41, fig. 8.

2004

  • Salmazo, Alberta De Nicolò. Andrea Mantegna. Milan, 2004: 261 no. 2, though the accompanying figure reproduces another example of this print.

2005

  • Agosti, Giovanni. Su Mantegna. Milan, 2005: I: fig. 103.

2008

  • Agosti, Giovanni and Dominique Thiebault. Mantegna: 1431-1506. Exh. cat. Musee du Louvre, Paris, 2008: no. 89.

2009

  • Syson, Luke. "Reflections on the Mantegna Exhibition in Paris." The Burlington Magazine 151/1277 (2009): 526-535, fig. 33.

2010

  • Signorini, Rodolfo, Viviana Rebonato and Sara Tammaccaro. Andrea Mantegna Impronta del Genio. Florence, 2010: 394, fig. 25.

  • Christiansen, Keith. The Genius of Mantegna. New York, 2010: figs. 60, 61.

2011

  • Luciano, Eleonora, ed. Antico: The Golden Age of Renaissance Bronzes. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington. London, 2011: 152, fig. 33.

2013

  • Lucco, Mauro. Mantegna. Milan, 2013: 242, 243, fig. 57.

  • Campbell, Stephen J. and Michael W. Cole. Italian Renaissance Art. New York, 2013: 262, fig. 10.7.

2017

  • Fowler, Caroline O. "Res Papirea: Mantegna's Paper Things." The Art Bulletin 99/1 (2017): 8-35, fig. 1.

Inscriptions

lower center in plate front of tomb: HVMANI / GENERIS / REDEMPTO / RI

Wikidata ID

Q74875778

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