Artwork
Dead Christ Mourned by Angels
Dead Christ Mourned by Angels is an unspecified painting by Felice Riccio. It dates from 1583 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
About this work
Overview
Created circa 1583 by the Veronese painter Felice Riccio, known as Il Brusasorci, this oil work presents a solemn tableau of a lifeless figure draped in white, attended by celestial beings. The composition is housed in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and exemplifies the devotional subject matter prevalent in late‑Renaissance religious art.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure represents the dead Christ, his eyes closed and head reclined, evoking the moment of his repose after crucifixion. An angel to the right holds a torch, its flame illuminating the scene, while a kneeling figure and a hovering cherub observe, suggesting a contemplative mourning shared between heaven and earth.
Technique & Style
Riccio employs chiaroscuro to model forms, using the torch’s warm light to carve out the bodies against a darker background. The contrast of illumination and shadow creates depth and a dramatic focus on the Christ figure. The handling of drapery and delicate flesh tones reflects the refined naturalism characteristic of the late Renaissance in Verona.
History & Provenance
Felice Riccio, son of the painter Domenico Riccio, continued his family’s artistic lineage in Verona before the work entered the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The painting’s provenance traces back to private collections in Italy before its acquisition by the museum in the early twentieth century.
Artist & collection
Artist
Felice Riccio (1542 – 1605) was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance period, born and mainly active in Verona. He is also known as Il Brusasorci or Brusasorzi or Felice Brusasorci. He was the son of the painter Domenico Riccio.
