New Testament subjects
New Testament subjects
A study after the grieving women in Lo Spasimo di Sicilia (Christ bearing the Cross)
c.1853-1876Albumen print | 27.5 x 40.1 cm (sheet of paper) | RCIN 850315
A photograph of a drawing now in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (inv. no.WA1846.36), which is a copy of a preparatory study by Raphael (c.1515-1516) now in the Uffizi, Florence (inv. no. 543Er) for the so-called 'Spasimo di Sicilia', a painting by Raphael and his workshop (c.1515-1516) now in the Prado, Madrid (inv. no. 298). See RCIN 850311 for a photograph of the painting and RCIN 850314.a for a photograph of the drawing in the Uffizi.
The authorship of the drawing in the Uffizi was disputed for a long time and Parker (see Bibliographic References) catalogued the drawn copy in the Ashmolean Museum as being after Giulio Romano. The more recent re-attribution of the Uffizi drawing to Raphael has been widely accepted.
The painting was commissioned from Raphael for the church of St Maria dello Spasimo, Palermo. Its subject, Christ carrying the Cross, was not a common choice for an early sixteenth century altarpiece. The focal point of the composition is the so-called 'Compassio Mariae', which is embodied in the depiction of the Virgin suffering and bending towards her son who has just stumbled under the weight of the cross. Although not directly based on a specific passage of the Bible, this composition can be related to the Gospel of Luke (23:37) "a large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him". As noted by Capellen (see Bibliographic References) here Raphael "aims at furnishing an altarpiece with a dramatic historia".
Due to the rather poor condition of this painting, there is much debate about its authorship and Raphael's involvement in its execution and design. It has been noted that the main figures (such as Christ, Simon and the Maries) are delicately painted, whilst a large part of the composition is done "rather perfunctorily". Therefore, it has been suggested that the design and part of the execution are to be attributed to Raphael who was assisted by his workshop in producing the final painting.
Creator(s)
After Raphael (Urbino 1483-Rome 1520) (artist)
27.5 x 40.1 cm (sheet of paper)
- Acquired for the Prince Consort's Raphael Collection (c.1853-76)
Subject(s)
- Religion & Theology
- Religions and faiths
- Christianity
- Life of Christ
- Passion of Christ
- Christ Carrying the Cross
- Three Marys at the Sepulchre
- Passion of Christ
- Life of Christ
- Christianity
- Religions and faiths
- Science, Medicine and Technology
- Medical sciences
- Anatomy
- Heads
- Anatomy
- Medical sciences
- Places
- Asia
- Israel
- Jerusalem
- Golgotha
- Jerusalem
- Israel
- Asia
- Religion & Theology
Bibliographic reference(s)
no. 543E (Inventario Uffizi. Disegni Esposti I 1986 : Disegni esposti ; v. 1, 1986 / a cura di Annamaria Petrioli Tofani, Florence (Gabinetto disegni e stampe degli Uffizi))
p. 230, no. 384 r (Joannides 1983 : Joannides, P., 1983. The Drawings of Raphael, with a complete catalogue, Oxford)
pp. 150-157, no. 59 (Capellen 2005 : Capellen, JM, 2005. Raphael : the paintings. Volume 2, The Roman Religious Paintings ca.1508-1520 )
pp. 175-177, nos. IX.1-7 (Raphael Invenit 1985 : Bernini Pezzini, G. et al., 1985. Raphael Invenit. Stampe di Raffaello nelle Collezioni dell'Istituto Nazionale per la Grafica, Rome)
