The Body of Jesus Prepared for the Sepulchre

Antonio Piccinni 1846 - 1920

Summary

Deposition scene. There are two crucifixes to the upper centre and right. Seated figures can be seen in the shadows at midground and lower right. A body wrapped in cloths is lying on the ground at the lower centre left. The head of the body is to the left. It is uncovered and has long hair and a beard. The top of a cross can be seen on the ground at the lower centre foreground. Figures can be seen in the shadows to the left edge. The sun can be seen to the upper left in a cloudy and dark sky. This etching was one of a collection formed by print expert PG Hamerton (1834-94) for the Manchester Art Museum, an educational gallery which opened in 1886 in the industrial suburb of Ancoats. The collection was transferred to the City Art Gallery in 1912, the Art Museum maintaining that they did not have enough space to display it. On acquisition, the prints were displayed together, with a catalogue of the pithy comments on each print that Hamerton had made in 1882. For this work, he had noted, 'The reader will observe that this plate is from a picture by another artist. Whilst Piccinni himself is very strong in the expression of faces, Morelli seems to avoid them. The scene is generally impressive.'