The Entombment of Christ n.d.

Andrea Mantegna created this drawing called "The Entombment of Christ" sometime in the 15th century. It represents a pivotal moment in Christian theology and it also reflects Mantegna’s immersion in the artistic and intellectual culture of Renaissance Italy. Mantegna was court painter to the Gonzaga family in Mantua, and was deeply influenced by classical antiquity and the new emphasis on humanism. "The Entombment" encapsulates this influence. The figures are rendered with sculptural precision, recalling classical statuary. The emotional intensity of the mourners—their grief, despair, and reverence—reflects a humanist interest in portraying a wide range of human emotion. We can examine Mantegna's personal letters and the writings of humanist scholars, to get a richer sense of how his work fits into the broader cultural landscape of Renaissance Italy. Art is never made in a vacuum, and the task of the historian is to reconstruct the web of social and institutional relations that give it meaning.