The Deposition of Christ
Artist
Guglielmo della Porta
(Italian, 1500 to 1510-1577)
Datec. 1570-1585
CultureItalian; Roman
MediumGilded bronze
ClassificationSculpture
ProvenanceEmile Gavet, Paris, approximately 1870s-1880s Cat. (1889), No. 221, Pl. XXVI; sold to Mr. and Mrs. William K. and Alva Erskine Smith Vanderbilt, Gothic Room, Marble House, Newport, Rhode Island, 1889-1982; transferred to Mrs. Alva Erskine Smith Vanderbilt Belmont in divorce; purchased by John Ringling, 1928; bequest to The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, 1936
Credit LineBequest of John Ringling, 1936
Object numberSN7181
This exquisite, small-scale relief made for use in private devotional practices shows the Deposition of Christ, the moment when the dead Christ is lowered from the cross. His most important followers surround him. Mary Magdalene lifts his left hand and applies a tender kiss. The fainting Virgin, located just above Christ, is steadied by mourners who rush to her side. This relief is known in multiple versions, attesting to its popularity among pious patrons of the arts.
On View
On viewLocation
- Museum of Art, Gallery 05
Collections
ca. 1530-40
