Image

A pen and ink with brown wash gestural drawing of Christ’s body being taken down from the Cross by his followers and Mary. The faceless figures create a pyramid form.
A pen and ink with brown wash gestural drawing of Christ’s body being taken down from the Cross by his followers and Mary. The faceless figures create a pyramid form.
A pen and ink with brown wash gestural drawing of Christ’s body being taken down from the Cross by his followers and Mary. The faceless figures create a pyramid form.
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Luca Cambiaso

Descent from the Cross

Description

Maker

Luca Cambiaso (Italian, 1527-1585)

Title

Descent from the Cross

Year

ca. 1572-1575

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

ink, wash technique

Supports

Dimensions

41.9 x 28.7 cm (16 1/2 x 11 5/16 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Stamped with collector's mark of Sir Peter Lely (1618-1680; Lugt 2092)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Miss Ellen D. Sharpe

Object Number

50.298

Type

Provenance

. . . - possibly 1680 or 1694, Collection of Peter Lely, London, [1618-1680]. Lugt 2092.

… Collection of Sir Robert Witt, London, [1872-1952]. Lugt 2228b.

- 1950, Purchased by Francis Matthiesen, Matthiesen Gallery, London possibly from Sir Robert Witt.

1950, Purchased by Miss Ellen Sharpe, RI from Matthiesen Gallery on 07/13/1950 . Transaction invoice.

1950, Gift to the RISD Museum from Miss Ellen Sharpe on 11/07/1950.

Projects & Publications

Publications

Articles

Copying an Old Master Drawing
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Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Drawing Closer
Four Hundred Years of Drawing from the RISD Museum
Mar 12, 2022 – Sep 04, 2022

Label copy

In the center of this sheet, Jesus is lowered from the cross, which divides the composition in half. The deftly applied wash defines volume and clarifies the figures’ relationship to the shallow, stage-like space they occupy. The liquid shadows all conform to a single directional light source originating in the upper right corner of the sheet. This creates a unified environment for the faceless characters, who Cambiaso constructed from simplified geometric forms and arranged like mannequins.

Design and Description
Renaissance and Baroque Drawings
Jan 27, 2006 – Apr 09, 2006

Label copy

The Genoese artist Luca Cambiaso had a prolific career. Perhaps in response to the high number of commissions he received, Cambiaso developed an unusual style of drawing, typified by the shorthand rendering of human forms seen in this study. He has reduced bodies and faces to summary abstraction, emphasizing the overall pyramidal composition.

Treasures on Paper
Drawings and Watercolors from the Permanent Collection
Jun 13, 1989 – Aug 19, 1989
Old Master Drawings
Sep 02, 1983 – Oct 16, 1983
Italian Art in Celebration of Rhode Island’s Italian Festival; Seven Centuries of Italian Art
CRIA Benefit Exhibition
Apr 12, 1967 – May 21, 1967

Use & Feedback

Image use

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This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Luca Cambiaso (Italian, 1527-1585)
Descent from the Cross, ca. 1572-1575
Pen and ink and brush and wash on oatmeal paper
41.9 x 28.7 cm (16 1/2 x 11 5/16 inches)
Gift of Miss Ellen D. Sharpe 50.298

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