Subject: the scene depicted represents a deposition from the cross, with different figures around the body of Christ.
In the background there are three crosses and a staircase, typical elements of the crucifixion.
There are five main figures: Christ deposed, a female figure who caresses his hand (Maria Maddalena), another female figure behind them (the Virgin Mary), an elderly man with turban and beard holding a hammer and nails and the crown of thorns in his hand (possibly Giuseppe d'Arimatea), and Giovanni Evangelist with the red cloak.
The presence of the three crosses in the background on the left and a mountain or rock on the right (Golgota) immediately contextualize the scene.
Materials:
Support: massive wooden table, with evident veins and irregularities on the back. Pictorial technique: tempera at the egg on Tavola Pigmenti: you can observe earthy colors (ocher, brown), deep reds (cinnabar or land of burnt Siena), blue, and white. The haloes and some details decorate made with gold leaf or golden pigment.
Conservation conditions:
Craquelre: the painting has a dense and widespread network of craquelre, or cracks of the pictorial layer, typical of the aging of the paintings on table and of thermo -sneak changes. Craquelre is more evident in clear and embodied areas. Previous restorations: isolated pictorial retouches. Support: the back of the table shows signs of time, such as scratches, small cracks and surface alterations of the wood ..
Style and dating:
Style: the style is characterized by figures with stylized but expressive faces, fluid drapery and a composition that recalls the religious iconographic tradition. The haloes and the use of gold for decorative details suggest a Byzantine or post-bizine influence.
Details such as man's turban and passion tools (hammer and nails) are consolidated iconographic elements. Dating: based on the pictorial style, the craqualures and the general aspect, the work dates back to a period between the 16th and 17th centuries,
Dimensions: 43 x 54 cm.
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SILVER Seller in La-Spezia, Italia
