The Placing of Christ in the Sepulchre

This painting brings about an authentic whirl of emotions: with great devotion Nicodemus, the Pharisee who went to Jesus at night, and Joseph of Arimathea lay the body of Chris; the Mother impresses a kiss upon her son’s lifeless body; Mary Magdalene “expresses excruciating pain deep within” and John, the favourite disciple, “appears to compete in affection with Mary Magdalene”. The shadows cast upon the scene appear to evoke the great darkness that covered the land when Jesus died on the cross. The artist’s signature, TITIANUS P. (Titianus pinxit – “Titian painted this”), appears at the base of the tomb, even though the painting contains studio work and the critics suggest it was finished by Palma the Younger.