Burial place of christ

Jan Borman the Younger
Brussels 1479 - 1520
Perimeter

Oak wood carved
Polychrome set and gold-plated
Height 29 cm, length 27 cm, depth 8.5 cm

Provenance: Kunsthandel Asenbaum, Vienna

This group of figures depicts the burial place of Christ, with eight people gathered around the body of Christ, which lies in a deep sarcophagus. One of the men is holding the head of Christ, with a long beard and half bald head. To his left, a man with a full head of hair and beard is also kneeling, and behind him two other middle-aged men. Behind them are two younger, beardless men, one of whom is shown with a hat and the other with long curls. The latter is presumably John’s favorite disciple. He supports the mourning female figure on his left, who is wearing her long hair loose under her veil. This is probably Mary Magdalene, who has crossed her arms in prayer in front of her chest and is looking down at Christ. Her left wrist is clasped by the second female figure on the far right. Here it is Mary, the mourning mother, who is emphasized in the composition by her white veil under her cloak. She looks desperately up to the sky and not down to her son. He still wears the crown of thorns that distinguishes him as King of the Jews. His curly hair falls over his shoulders and his face is also turned towards the sky, his head stretched limply backwards. He is wrapped in a golden cloth, dressed like the other figures in this group. The dark braids of the man on the front left could indicate that they were originally silver-plated and are now oxidized.

The Bible mentions two men who bury Jesus, namely Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. According to tradition, Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus down from the cross and buried him in a rock tomb (Mt 27:57-61; Mk 15:42-47; Lk 52-56). However, the number of accompanying figures increased from the 15th century up to six or even eight people. At the same time, the image type of the Entombment was merged with that of the Lamentation of Christ. This led to an immediate sympathy on the part of the viewer and its emphasized function as a devotional image, especially in a time of plague epidemics. The tomb became an extremely popular theme in which painful experiences became identifiable with the suffering of Christ. Compositionally related is a Flemish altarpiece by the 15th century (Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C., inv. no. 1956.11.62). A tomb relief from Antwerp from the early A 16th century painting has survived (MET, New York, inv. no. 16.32.221), which has numerous parallels. However, the example presented here appears more detail-oriented and harmonious in the perception of the figures and their communication with each other.

An interesting eye-catcher is the Gothic pilgrim’s bag attached to the belt of Joseph of Arimathea’s robe on the far right. The foot of the sarcophagus is probably occupied by Nicodemus, who is often shown wearing a turban-like headdress (cf. Museum of Fine Arts Ghent, inv. no. 1952-AN). The other, not clearly identifiable figures could represent Jews, as it is also recorded that Jesus was buried by a group of Jews (Acts 13:28-29). Such small-scale, multi-figure reliefs were very popular in the period around 1500 and are characteristic of the carving art of Brabant, Brussels and Antwerp. The compositional staggering towards the top as well as the fine details such as the pilgrim’s bag and the carefully carved, volute-shaped curls are also typical and point to the circle of Jan Borman the Younger (cf. St. Peter, c. 1480-1500, former collegiate church of St. Peter and Guido in Anderlecht). Works by this Flemish carver of the late Gothic period were widespread. He was a master of multi-figured, animated scenes, and his art had a wide scope, as can be seen in this group of figures. The individual gestures of the people in deep mourning lend the tomb group an aspect of liveliness in its vertical alignment, as a counterpoint to the rigid horizontal through the sarcophagus and body of Christ.