The Entombment

Monumental work by Caravaggio on the Entombment. Nicodemus and his helper (John?) have wrapped Jesus in cloths. The women look on and throw up their arms as the deceased is laid down. Hands and posture emphasize the arched composition.

Caravaggio shows himself a follower of Michelangelo and Raphael, two predecessors in art who had depicted the same scene – Michelangelo with his famous pietà, Raphael with his Entombment.

The painting first served as an altarpiece for a Roman church, but is now part of the papal collection.