The Entombment of Christ

Niccolò di Liberatore, known as l’Alunno and Lattanzio di Niccolò
olio on canvas
1500 circa

Each character in this work by the artist from Foligno has been given a bitingly, dramatic and tortured expression to twist their features in the manner of figurative religious works of the medieval era. This piece was probably commissioned from Niccolò by the Orfini family of Foligno who also founded the Emiliano publishing house, renowned for its edition of Dante’s Divine Comedy. At the end pf the 19th century the painting belonged to a private collection in Rome where it was attributed to Mantegna. It was later to be found in Florence where the art historian Roberto Longhi identified it as being the handiwork of the painter from Foligno.

According to Todini (1987), the artwork was completed by Niccolò in around 1500 in collaboration with his son Lattanzio. More recently (Lunghi, 1996), it has been posited that it’s an authentic artwork of Niccolò’s by virtue of its resemblance to a drawing by the master in Berlin’s Kupferstichkabinett. Critics agree that the piece was inspired by the artistic culture of Carlo Crivelli, a Venetian artist who worked extensively in the Marches. This is a recurrent feature of Niccolò’s production.