Artwork
Copy after The Raising of Lazarus attributed to Buonamico di Martino called Buffamalco in the Lower Church of San Francesco (Assisi)
Copy after The Raising of Lazarus attributed to Buonamico di Martino called Buffamalco in the Lower Church of San Francesco (Assisi) is a watercolor work on paper by the Impressionist artist Unknown. It is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. This watercolour presents a biblical tableau set within a gently rolling landscape of hills and trees.
About this work
Overview
This watercolour presents a biblical tableau set within a gently rolling landscape of hills and trees. Central to the composition is a group of figures gathered around a wrapped body, presumed to be Lazarus, while a man in a blue robe gestures toward the scene. Several participants kneel or raise their heads, and a few are encircled by luminous halos, lending a serene, otherworldly atmosphere.
Subject & Meaning
The image interprets the New Testament episode in which Christ raises Lazarus from the dead. The arrangement of kneeling women and attentive men underscores themes of faith and miracle, while the halos identify the sanctified status of the participants. The calm, almost reverent mood invites contemplation of resurrection and divine intervention rather than dramatic action.
Technique & Style
Executed in transparent watercolour, the work employs a muted palette of earth tones punctuated by soft, glowing halos. Delicate washes convey the misty atmosphere and the gentle contours of the surrounding hills. The figure of the man in blue is rendered with slightly sharper lines, drawing the viewer’s eye to his pointing gesture and reinforcing the narrative focus.
History & Provenance
The painting is a nineteenth‑century copy made in 1874 by Edward Kaiser for the Arundel Society, reproducing an earlier fresco attributed to Buonamico di Martino, known as Buffamalco. After residing in the National Gallery, London, the watercolour entered the collection of its present museum in 1995, where it remains as part of the institution’s holdings on religious art reproductions.
Artist & collection
Domestic Scene
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Madonna and Child with Saints in the Enclosed Garden
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Family Group of Four on Sofa
Wall painting from Room H of the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale
Copy after the painting Adoration of the Magi by Taddeo Gaddi in Lower Church, San Francesco, Assisi
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Noli Me Tangere
Watercolour, copy after A young man introduced to the Liberal Arts, Sandro Botticelli in the Musée du Louvre (Paris)
Copy after St Stephen preaching and St Stephen before the Council, Fra Angelico in the Niccoline Chapel (Vatican, Rome)
Copy after The Expulsion of St Stephen and The Martyrdom of St Stephen, Fra Angelico in the Niccoline Chapel (Vatican, Rome)
Copy after The Entombment (Lamentation over the Dead Christ), Fra Angelico in the Museo di San Marco (Florence)
Copy after the cycle of the <i>Life of St Francis</i> (<i>Birth of St Francis</i>), Benozzo Gozzoli in San Francesco, Montefalco
Copy after the Annunciation, Fra Angelico in the Museo di San Marco (Florence)