The Lamentation of Christ
The original, as its museum records it
Every line above is reproduced from the holding institution’s own catalogue entry, which is linked. Where their title, date or attribution differs from ours, theirs is the one printed here.
The file this print is made from
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About this painting
Christ gave one order from the cross, and Botticelli paints it being obeyed. "Woman, behold thy son," to Mary; "Behold thy mother," to John. The Virgin is overcome, falling sideways into unconsciousness; John supports her and stops Christ's shining body sliding off her lap. He holds up the living and the dead together.
Made for meditation on the Passion, it stood on San Paolino's high altar in Florence, set against the dark burial cave.
The Gospel finishes the sentence: from that hour the disciple took her to his own. This is that hour.
Sources: Alte Pinakothek, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Munich, 'The Lamentation', inv. 1075. · WikiArt/Legouix citation via florenceasitwas.wlu.edu · WikiArt entry · WikiArt entry (moderate confidence) · John 19:26-27, Douay-Rheims. · Alessandro Cecchi et al., "'Una Pietà chon molte figure': Sandro Botticelli's altarpiece for the Florentine church of S. Paolino", The Burlington Magazine 157 (2015), pp. 521-529. · Nicholas Penny, 'The Virgin and the Cross (John 19:26-27)', The Visual Commentary on Scripture, King's College London.
Printed on demand. Public-domain masterwork, reproduced from a 4,500 px master of the original. The whole image is printed — never cropped to fit the sheet — so every sheet carries an archival margin, and the dimensions and resolution listed above are the ones you receive.