“Deposition of Christ” by Andrea Mantegna. (Photo: Courtesy of the Vatican Museums)
A long-lost painting from the mid-16th century that has been attributed to famed Renaissance painter Andrea Mantegna is now temporarily on view at the Vatican Museums. After three months, the freshly restored painting will go back to the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary in Pompeii, where it was originally discovered and has hung for centuries.
The scene, titled Deposition of Christ, depicts Jesus’ descent from the cross after his crucifixion. The work has historically been attributed to Mantegna, and recent evaluations and tests conducted by the Vatican’s team throughout its restoration can now confirm this as fact. Barbara Jatta, director of the Vatican Museums, says, “The restoration revealed iconographic and technical details that confirm Mantegna’s authorship, returning to art history a masterpiece that was thought lost.”
Mantegna was an artist known for his contributions to the revival of antiquity in Italian Renaissance art. Born in the Venetian Republic in 1431, Mantegna’s technique and iconography were singular, pushing the envelope of perspective at the time while strengthening ties to the past through his love of classical art and sculpture. He was also known for his work as an artist for the court of Mantua, painting a variety of works, mainly frescoes. Mantegna died in 1506, but his legacy has lived on through his masterpieces.
The Deposition of Christ was last heard of in 1524, in a letter written by Pietro Summonte, an Italian humanist. Summonte also attributes the work to Mantegna in the letter. The painting was last recorded as hanging in a basilica in Naples called San Domenico Maggiore before its disappearance. How it came to be in the cathedral in Pompeii is unknown.
Mantegna’s piece endured a fraught existence in the centuries it was thought to be lost, undergoing neglect and then botched attempts at restoration. A photograph of the work in an online database caught the eye of local professor and art historian Stefano De Mieri, who recognized Mantegna’s hand in the work and passed the information along to the cathedral’s bishop, Tommaso Caputo. Caputo then flagged the work for curators at the Vatican.
Vatican researchers investigated the work initially in 2022, using portable UV lamps to closer examine the painting’s composition and underdrawings. Jatta recalls that the team “immediately understood that under the layers of repainting an extraordinary pictorial material was hidden,” and so the work on restoring the painting to its former glory began.
After a lengthy restoration process and further analysis to confirm authorship, the Vatican declared the piece an original Mantegna just a few days before putting it on display. This news comes at an opportune time for the Catholic Church, which is due to be celebrating Easter and the resurrection of Christ in exactly a month.
A painting by Renaissance master Andrea Mantegna was recently rediscovered in a Pompeii cathedral, and will be temporarily on view at the Vatican Museums.
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Andrea Mantegna was a famous Renaissance artist, credited for his techniques in perspective and contributions to the revival of antiquity in Renaissance art.
The Lamentation over the Dead Christ by Andrea Mantegna (Photo: Thesupermat2 via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
A local art historian and professor initially recognized the work as a Mantegna, and after notifying the Vatican, restoration and research began on the piece in 2022.
Half length portrait engraving of Andrea Mantegna, Nicolas de Larmessin and Esme de Boulonais (Photo: Svarshavsky via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Sources: Long-Lost Renaissance Masterpiece Rediscovered in Pompeii
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