Raphael

The Deposition of Christ (The Borghese Entombment) by Raphael (1507)

72 1/2 x 69 1/4 in. (184 x 176 cm)

Italian High Renaissance

Scenes that depict the last hours of Jesus Christ’s life and immediate aftermath — from His last meal (the Last Supper) to the Resurrection — are the most common subjects in Christian art. A deposition depicts the removal of Christ’s corpse from the Cross, while an entombment shows Christ’s burial. This work depicts neither of these however, but those are the titles it has been known by for centuries so I will use them.

On the surface, Raphael’s painting seems pretty simple. Ten people in the extreme foreground are divided into two groups of five. The background is a fantastical Italian landscape framed by the two most important landmarks in Christianity: the Tomb on the left and the Hill of Cavalry on the right. A lone tree in the back marks the painting’s near-center vertical, dividing the painting and the group down the middle. It’s very mathematical, very precise, very organized, very Renaissance-y. Diving deeper into the work, however, I see that this work is not simple at all.

The story of this work is Raphael’s use of line and composition. The figures on the left are arranged in a tight arc that thrusts left. Following the long, pale horizontal of Christ’s body, my eye comes to the man supporting His torso. This man is straining from the dead weight of the corpse. Notice how his head and upper body replicates Christ’s and how the two faces are almost identical. To me, it seems like Raphael is trying to link these two specifically and contrast them. They can represent life and death, sinner and sinless, Man and God. I also like the symbolism here: the man is struggling under the weight of the dead Christ who died carrying the dead weight of this man’s sin.

Moving right from this man are Saints John, probably Joseph of Arimathea, and Mary Magdalene. The arc running through these figures ends at Mary’s left hand which grasps Christ’s. This gesture anchors one end of the arc and is full of meaning. Look at the subtle coloring. Christ’s hand is pale and lifeless against Mary’s warm golden tone. Her touch is tender, gentle, and sad. As my eye goes from one figure to the next, I feel like I’m seeing the stages of grief in each face, before ending here. For me then, this tiny gesture is the emotional center of the painting.

Christ’s figure overlaps the other half of the painting and leads my eye to the second group of figures on the right. This group balances the left but is not as dramatic. Where the leftward movement is defined by the pose of the man holding Christ’s head who is at the extreme left of the work and top of the arc, the man holding His legs is in the center, not far right. His pose mirrors the head-bearer and he leans backward as he strains with the weight, but the movement rightward is stopped by the strong and compact verticals of the women behind him. These women also form an arc around a central figure, Mother Mary, who faints and is supported by the others. Mary complements Jesus. They have similar poses, facial expressions, and pallor. Also, the line formed by her body will intersect Christ’s at a right angle, forming a T, and recreates the shape of the Cross, seen on the hilltop in the background. As Mary falls back, her form brings my eye up to that hill and the event that preceded this scene.

Raphael’s Deposition is one part of a larger altarpiece. It is asking the viewer to remember the Crucifixion and why Jesus Christ died.

This work is cared for by the Borghese Gallery, Rome, Italy.