A Homage to Vittore Carpaccio

The exhibition places ‘The Lamentation’ in its contextual and artistic context by comparing it with works by Giovanni Bellini, Cima da Conegliano, Palma il Vecchio, Francesco Bissolo and Carpaccio himself. In addition, two valuable loans from the Kupferstichkabinett are on display: a preliminary sketch by Carpaccio depicting the dead Christ and an engraving by Andrea Mantegna, which served as inspiration for the Venetian painter.


Carpaccio's ‘The Deposition of Christ’

The ‘Preparation for the Burial of Christ’ is a remarkable and mysterious work. Instead of the more common lamentation, the painter chose the moment between Christ's death on the cross and his resurrection.
In the centre of the picture, Christ's body is laid out, behind it the tomb is being opened and Joseph of Arimathea is preparing to wash the body. Leaning against a tree sits a meditating old man, presumably Job as Christ's Old Testament precursor. Many narrative details set in an ideal landscape emphasise the contrast between life and death: skulls and parts of skeletons in the foreground, shepherds playing music in the centre of the picture.

For the Hamburg art historian Aby Warburg, the ‘Preparation of Christ for Burial’ was so significant that he included it in his ‘Bilderatlas Mnemosyne’ in 1929 alongside works by Donatello and Raphael. The original panel from the picture atlas has been reproduced for this special presentation.


Intensively examined and comprehensively restored

The poor condition of the painting led to extensive restoration work, which was carried out by the former chief restorer of the Gemäldegalerie, Babette Hartwieg. Layers of varnish and earlier retouching had discoloured and had to be removed. Examinations carried out in collaboration with the Rathgen Research Laboratory revealed serious changes to certain areas of paint, which had to be taken into account when selecting the restoration methods. Visitors will be provided with information of varying depth on the results of the examinations and the restoration measures carried out.


Curatorial team
The exhibition is curated by Babette Hartwieg and Neville Rowley.

• The restoration was made possible with the support of Culturespaces, Paris.
  
• A special presentation in Room 37 of the Gemäldegalerie – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin