AFTER DIRK VAN BABUREN (DUTCH, 1594-1624)
The Entombment
oil on canvas
135 x 94.5 cm

The original work by Dirck van Baburen was produced for his client Pietro Cussida who owned a private collection of artworks in Zaragoza; the work is now held at San Pietro in Montorio, Rome. The work was intended to be a replica of an altarpiece the artist had made shortly before for the Pietà Chapel in the church of San Pietro in Montorio.

In the original painting by Dirk van Baburen, and similarly in the present work, Christ's finger is aimed at the tools which fall from a wicker basket on the ground. Here the viewer can see nails, a hammer and the crown of thorns, which are in reference to Christ's crucifixion. It is through the presence of these objects that the suffering of Christ is emphasised.

Dirk can Baburen's work, which the present example is after, is based on Caravaggio's 'The Entombment of Christ' which is now exhibited in the Vatican Museums.