Giovanni Marinelli, The Lamentation of Christ

Giovanni Marinelli was an Italian Baroque painter born in the Valdarno (Montevarchi, circa 1604-Firenze 1659). As a young man, he moved to the city of Florence to pursue an apprenticeship in Jacopo Ligozzi’s workshop. Years later, he moved to Rome.

The scene in Marinelli’s Lamentation of Christ depicts the lament over the dead Jesus Christ after he had been deposed from the cross. The cross can still be seen in the backdrop of the painting. The body of Christ is laid out on a white sheet, and the Virgin Mary is holding up the upper half of his body as she privately mourns the death of her only child. Other figures in the scene are: Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and the Apostle John. The bare, dark background is in stark contrast with the vibrant colors of the clothing worn by the figures in the scene, the bright whiteness of Christ’s body, his loincloth and the sheet under him.