Lamentation over the Body of Christ (c. 1500): Artwork and History

Lamentation over the Body of Christ (c. 1500) is in the Art Institute of Chicago collection. The museum lists its creator attribution as Gerard David (Netherlandish, c. 1460–1523).

The work and its context

The Art Institute of Chicago describes the work:

This painting was once part of the Saint Anne Altarpiece, a series of 10 panels set within an architectural frame that hung behind a church’s altar. Gerard David and his workshop produced this large-scale project for export to Spain. In the scene here three key figures in Jesus’s life—the Virgin Mary, John the Evangelist, and Mary Magdalene—gracefully kneel over his crucified body with tears on their cheeks. This work was likely the central, lowest panel, positioned directly behind the altar to be reflected upon during the blessing of the Eucharist, reminding worshipers of Jesus’s bodily sacrifice on behalf of humanity.

Object facts

• Title: Lamentation over the Body of Christ
• Date: c. 1500
• Artist attribution: Gerard David (Netherlandish, c. 1460–1523)
• Place of origin: Netherlands
• Medium: Oil on panel
• Dimensions: 55.1 × 62.8 cm (21 1/2 × 24 1/2 in.); Framed: 66.7 × 74.3 × 7.7 cm (26 1/4 × 29 1/4 × 3 in.)
• Type: Painting
• Department: Painting and Sculpture of Europe
• Reference number: 1933.1040

Collection credit

Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection

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The description above is credited to the Art Institute of Chicago and reused under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0; HTML formatting has been converted to plain text. Other catalogue metadata and the public-domain image are provided under CC0 1.0.