Sisto Badalocchio - Deposition in the Tomb

The subject of the "Deposition of Christ" is widespread in Western sacred art. It developed in the Middle Ages, first in frescoes depicting episodes from the Passion and then as a single subject. It then spread widely during the Renaissance and throughout the 17th century. "The Deposition" has two fundamental variations: the first concerns the recovery of Christ's body from the cross; the second, its transportation and burial in the tomb. The painting in question belongs to the latter category. The characters depicted are recurring: Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, always engaged in carrying the body, Saint John the Evangelist, Mary Magdalene, always recognizable by her red hair, and a group of virgins.
weeping figures, including the Madonna Addolorata. The protagonist is always the body of Christ, displayed in his redemptive sacrifice. Specifically, the present work is believed to be a copy, executed by Sisto Badalocchio, of an original oil on copper attributed to Annibale Carracci and now held at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. The attribution to Carracci was established precisely because of the existence of numerous copies of the prototype (which must have been executed by a great master), many of which were executed by Badalocchio himself, a collaborator of the Carraccis. Another variant by Badalocchio, executed in 1607, is held at the Dulwich Gallery in London.

Both the composition and style of this work respect the original prototype, marked by the strong classicist influence typical of the Carracci school, which, however, already reveals some elements of a Baroque direction. Indeed, the entire scene is organized according to the harmonious principle of a balanced distribution of mass, according to a monumental plasticity that clearly harks back to the great masters of the late Renaissance. However, there are compositional solutions designed to emotionally engage the viewer and that are in line with a seventeenth-century aesthetic. Such as the setting in the dark cave, illuminated by the dim light of the candle that illuminates the body of Christ, displayed to an imaginary audience with a powerful foreshortening. Furthermore, the solution of placing the weeping virgins outside the cave, visible in the background through the perspective that leads us to its entrance, is very interesting. Stylistically, this version of the Deposition fully respects the directives of a classicist aesthetic in the plastic definition of monumental masses and their placement in a concrete space. The figures are arranged on the scene with great naturalism, displaying a variety of heartfelt and emotional gestures, typical of the religious sentiment expressed in the Carraccis' works. From a technical standpoint, the artist shows complete respect for the model in depicting the ample draperies and in blending the subjects into the space with a naturalistic rendering. The use of light, especially the deep shadows on Christ's foreshortened body, also demonstrates the painter's great mastery.

The work should be attributed to Sisto Badalocchio, author of several copies of Annibale Carracci's Deposition. Born in Parma in 1585, he died around 1647. He trained under the Carracci family, first with Agostino in Bologna, and later followed Annibale to Rome and assisted him in decorating the Galleria Farnese. In 1609, he moved to Parma. Among his most important works are the frescoes in the church of San Giovanni Evangelista in Reggio Emilia, inspired by the dome decorated by Correggio in the church of San Giovanni Evangelista in Parma.

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