Burying the Dead
Artist
Sébastien Bourdon
(French, 1616 – 1671)
Date1665–1670
CultureFrench
MediumOil on canvas
ClassificationPaintings
Credit LineBequest of John Ringling, 1936
Object numberSN372
In the 1640s, Sébastien Bourdon befriended Nicholas Poussin, whose classicizing influence is evident in these two works. Both Burying the Dead and Welcoming the Strangers come from a series depicting the seven acts of mercy as described in the Gospel of Matthew. Bourdon represented these acts by showing the scenes where Tobit buries those slain by the Assyrian King Sennacherib-as recorded in the Apocryphal Book of Tobit-and also the scene from the Book of Genesis in which Lot receives the angels-an act of compassion that spared him and his family from the destruction of Sodom. While the strange coloring of the figures was not intentional, but rather reflects later physical changes to the paint and surface, the antique dress of the figures and various accessories, along with the planar composition, are evidence of the classical style that Bourdon embraced late in his career.
On View
On viewLocation
DimensionsFrame: 57 1/2 x 78 x 3 in. (146.1 x 198.1 x 7.6 cm)- Museum of Art, Gallery 07
Image: 48 1/2 x 68 3/8 in. (123.2 x 173.7 cm)
