The Burial of Christ  1595

This deeply moving picture was painted for one of Carracci’s patrons, Astorre di Vincenzo Sampieri, a canon of the cathedral of San Pietro in Bologna. Intended as a gift for an important figure in Rome, it was retained by Sampieri, who sent a copy of it by Guido Reni instead. We view the dramatic event from within the burial chamber, the figures lit by torch; through an op...