The Lamentation of Christ,
oil on canvas, 184.5 x 138.5 cm, framed

Provenance:
Private European collection (acquired by the great-grandfather of the present owner)

The present painting relates to the altarpiece of the Deposition in the church of San Pietro al Po, Cremona, dated 1568, by Lattanzio Gambara (1530-1574) of Brescia. Indeed, the present work and Gambara’s altarpiece share a similarly realistic atmosphere as well as some related details, such as the realistic representation of the instruments of the Passion shown in the foreground. Just as in the altarpiece by Gambara (which reveals the influence of Raphael, particularly apparent in the figure of Christ, his head tilted back and arms sagging), so too, in the present painting the dramatic, cloud-covered sky forebodes stormy weather. 

 In the present painting, the powerful figure of Christ is supported by mourners, accompanied by Saint Mary Magdalene and Saint Bartholomew. This work is characterised by its sober dignity, animated by the luminosity and folds of the subject’s robes, and by its contained dramatic tone: these are qualities that signal the influence of the figurative tradition of Brescia emerging in Cremona, of which Lattanzio Gambara was the principal proponent. Such a cross-fertilisation of painterly traditions was to develop increasingly between the two cities during the latter Cinquecento. 

 Gambara was initially a pupil of Giulio Campi of Cremona and he was subsequently apprenticed to Girolamo Romanino of Brescia. The Cremona Deposition dates to Gambara’s maturity, as do the decorations in the dome of Santa Maria della Steccata and the frescoes in Parma Cathedral (1567-73).