Who painted The body of saint Mark is taken away by the christians?

The body of saint Mark is taken away by the christians was painted by Jacopo Tintoretto in 1566.

Where can I see The body of saint Mark is taken away by the christians?

The body of saint Mark is taken away by the christians is held by Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.

What movement is The body of saint Mark is taken away by the christians?

The body of saint Mark is taken away by the christians is associated with Mannerism.

Artwork

The body of saint Mark is taken away by the christians

Jacopo Tintoretto , 1566

The body of saint Mark is taken away by the christians is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Jacopo Tintoretto. It dates from 1566 and is held in the collection of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium. Tintoretto’s oil painting, dated around 1566, portrays a hurried procession transporting a wrapped corpse through a vaulted courtyard.

About this work

Overview

Tintoretto’s oil painting, dated around 1566, portrays a hurried procession transporting a wrapped corpse through a vaulted courtyard. The composition is dominated by muscular figures moving under a stormy sky, their gestures and glances suggesting urgency. Architectural elements such as columns and a domed structure frame the scene, while stark light‑dark contrasts heighten the dramatic tension.

Subject & Meaning

The work depicts early Christians bearing the body of Saint Mark, the patron saint of Venice, away from a hostile setting. Though the narrative is not explained within the canvas, the intense movement and the figures’ backward glances imply a clandestine or perilous removal, reflecting themes of devotion and martyrdom.

Technique & Style

A pronounced chiaroscuro modelled the forms, with bright illumination cutting through a predominantly dark palette, creating a sense of depth and immediacy.

Executed in the Mannerist idiom, the painting showcases Tintoretto’s characteristic vigorous brushwork and exaggerated anatomy. A pronounced chiaroscuro modelled the forms, with bright illumination cutting through a predominantly dark palette, creating a sense of depth and immediacy. The composition’s diagonal thrust and crowded space convey kinetic energy typical of the artist’s late‑career style.

History & Provenance

The canvas entered the collection of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, where it remains on display. Its attribution to Tintoretto has been long accepted, based on stylistic analysis and archival references linking the work to the artist’s late period in the 1560s.

Artist & collection

Artist

Jacopo Tintoretto

Jacopo Robusti (late September or early October 1518 – 31 May 1594), best known as Tintoretto ( TIN-tə-RET-oh; Italian: ; Venetian: ), was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Venetian school.