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Luca Cambiaso

Descent from the Cross, ca. 1572 - 1575

Now On View

Description

Maker

Title

Descent from the Cross

Year

ca. 1572 - 1575

Medium

Pen and ink and brush and wash on oatmeal paper

Materials/Techniques

Materials

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)

Type

Credit

Gift of Miss Ellen D. Sharpe

Object Number

50.298

Projects & Publications

Publications

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Drawing Closer

March 12 - September 4, 2022

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

January 27 - April 9, 2006

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.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Descent from the Cross with the accession number of 50.298. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.