Artwork
Body of Christ held by angels
Body of Christ held by angels is an oil painting by the Early Renaissance artist Cosimo Tura. It dates from 1465 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Overview
Cosimo Tura’s *Body of Christ held by angels* (1465) is an oil painting that presents a solemn depiction of the dead Christ supported by two angelic figures. Executed in the early Renaissance style, the work belongs to the Kunsthistorisches Museum’s collection and exemplifies the devotional imagery prevalent in mid‑15th‑century Italy.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure is the lifeless Christ, crowned with thorns and draped in a simple white cloth, symbolising his sacrifice. Flanking him, two angels in red garments with blue sleeves and expansive brown wings gently grasp his arms, conveying both reverence and the promise of divine assistance in the aftermath of the crucifixion.
Technique & Style
Tura employs oil paint to achieve a nuanced palette that balances warm reds and cool blues, creating depth in the figures and the distant landscape. The rendering of the angels’ wings and the delicate modeling of Christ’s pallid flesh reveal a meticulous attention to texture and a nascent interest in naturalistic light.
History & Provenance
Created in 1465, the painting reflects Tura’s mature period as a leading artist of the Ferrara school. It entered the Kunsthistorisches Museum’s holdings in the 19th century, where it has remained a representative example of the artist’s religious commissions and the broader Italian Renaissance collection.
Context
Tura, active from roughly 1430 to 1495, helped establish Ferrara’s artistic identity during the early Renaissance. His work merges the courtly elegance of northern Italian painting with emerging humanist concerns, and this piece illustrates the period’s focus on emotive religious subjects intended for private devotion or chapel display.
Artist & collection
Artist
Cosmè Tura (Italian pronunciation: ; c. 1430 – 1495), also known as Il Cosmè or Cosimo Tura, was an Italian early-Renaissance (or Quattrocento) painter and considered one of the founders of the School of Ferrara. He…
