Artwork
The Entombment
The Entombment is an ink print by the Renaissance artist Giuseppe Scolari. It dates from 1600 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Giuseppe Scolari’s woodcut entitled *The Entombment* dates from the year 1600. Executed as a black‑and‑white print, the image presents a somber procession in which several figures bear a shrouded corpse. A solitary tree rises behind the group, while a winged presence hovers nearby, all rendered in stark, sharply defined lines.
Subject & Meaning
The composition depicts the ritual of laying a dead body to rest, a theme recurrent in religious and funerary art. The careful handling of the feet and shoulders by the mourners emphasizes reverence and collective responsibility. The ethereal winged figure may suggest a spiritual guardian or angelic witness to the burial rite.
Technique & Style
Scolari employed the traditional woodcut method, carving the design into a wooden block, inking the raised surfaces, and pressing paper onto the block to transfer the image. The technique yields bold, high‑contrast outlines and a monochrome palette, characteristic of printmaking practices prevalent in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.
History & Provenance
Created at the turn of the seventeenth century, the print reflects the continued popularity of woodcut reproduction in Italy during that period. While specific ownership records are scarce, the work is attributed to Scolari based on stylistic analysis and dated signatures common to his oeuvre.
Artist & collection
