An unpublished sanguine by Bandinelli acquired by the Getty

1. Baccio Bandinelli (1493-1560)
Lamentation
Sanguine - 25 x 22.2 cm
Los Angeles, The J. Paul Getty Museum
Photo: Getty Museum

See the image in its page

15/2/24 - Acquisition - Los Angeles, The J. Paul Getty Museum - It was one of the most important sheets on offer at last year’s Salon du Dessin (see article), where it took pride of place on the stand of Jean-Luc Baroni & Marty de Cambiaire, who will unfortunately be absent from the next edition of the Paris fair: Baccio Bandinelli’s Lamentation (ill. 1) has quickly flown to California and joined the sumptuous collections of the Getty Museum. Unpublished until its recent appearance on the market, this atypical drawing does not seem to be linked to any painted or sculpted work, and stands out among the graphic output of an artist best known for his extremely fine pen-and-ink drawings. We are also surprised by the absence of a face on the body, which is obviously that of Christ being watched over by his grieving mother, who is lying on top of her son to the point of hiding him from the eyes of the other protagonists, as both the gallery’s and the museum’s notices point out. The episode depicted is not so easy to define, being both a "Deploration" and a "Entombment", clearly evoked by the presence of a shroud. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus are absent from the scene, which could have taken place at the foot of the Cross. This slight iconographic uncertainty is not further clarified by the presence of the spindly trees that close off the composition on the left, but which only serve to reinforce the incongruity of the spectacular drapery sheltering these women.

2. Baccio Bandinelli (1493-1560)
Lamentation
Sanguine - 25 x 22,2 cm (détail)
Los Angeles, The J. Paul Getty Museum
Photo : Getty Museum

See the image in its page

You have to look in detail at all their grief-stricken faces (ill. 2) to grasp the very different variations of mourning that the artist wanted to…