The Entombment of Christ (Raphael)

The Entombment of Christ is currently housed in the Galleria Borghese in Rome. It was specifically commissioned for the Baglioni family in Perugia in the early sixteenth century to honor a tragic family death.

Raphael painted this ambitious early altarpiece in 1507. It was created during his Florentine period, heavily reflecting the compositional and anatomical influences of his contemporaries, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.

The painting was commissioned following the violent murder of Grifonetto Baglioni, a young nobleman in Perugia. His mother, Atalanta Baglioni, hired Raphael to paint the altarpiece for the family chapel to commemorate her son.

The painting depicts a tense, physical struggle as men carry the heavy, dead body of Christ to his tomb. Raphael brilliantly captures the dramatic weight of the body and the emotional grief of the fainting Virgin Mary in the foreground, showcasing his mastery of dynamic composition.