Curatorial Notes
Guercino’s career is unusually well documented, in part due to the survival of his account books, which reveal that he charged a set amount for each figure in a picture. According to the entry for this painting, the client wished to pay only for one full-length, one bust-length, and three half-length figures. Guercino’s moving composition attests to his resourcefulness in overcoming such restrictions. Christ and the attendant mourners are depicted with compelling restraint and in accord with the patron’s budget.
Artwork Identification
Title The Entombment
Title (PT) O Sepultamento de Cristo
Title (ES) El Santo Entierro
Artist Guercino
Artist Bio Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri; Italian, 1591-1666)
Date 1656
Work Type Painting
Location & Collection
Institution Art Institute of Chicago
Source View Museum Page
License Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0
