Study for the 'Entombment' in the Galleria Borghese, Rome

Raphael’s “Study for the ‘Entombment’” offers a profoundly moving prelude to one of his most celebrated compositions, the altarpiece now housed in the Galleria Borghese in Rome. Executed around 1505, this drawing isn’t merely a preparatory sketch; it is a powerful work in its own right, brimming with emotional intensity and demonstrating Raphael's masterful command of line and composition. The scene depicts the poignant moment following Christ’s descent from the cross, as his body is prepared for burial. A cluster of figures surrounds the lifeless form, their postures conveying a spectrum of grief – from raw despair to quiet contemplation. It’s a study not just of anatomy and drapery, but of human emotion in its most vulnerable state.

The Genesis of a Masterpiece: Context and Creation

To understand this drawing fully, we must consider the circumstances surrounding its creation. Commissioned by Atalanta Baglioni for her family chapel in Perugia, the final painting – known as “The Deposition” or “Pala Baglione” was intended as a memorial to her son, Grifonetto, who had been tragically killed amidst the violent political feuds of the time. This personal context infuses the work with an added layer of sorrow and remembrance. Raphael approached this commission with meticulous care, undertaking extensive preparatory studies like this one. He wasn’t simply illustrating a biblical scene; he was responding to a mother's grief, translating it into a universal expression of loss. The drawing reveals his process – the careful arrangement of figures, the exploration of different poses, and the striving for a dynamic composition that would convey both weight and grace.

Anatomy of Sorrow: Technique and Style

The power of “Study for the ‘Entombment’” lies in its stark simplicity. Rendered in black chalk on paper, Raphael eschews elaborate detail in favor of expressive lines and dramatic chiaroscuro – the interplay of light and shadow. The figures are not idealized; they are rendered with a raw realism that emphasizes their physical and emotional weight. Notice how the artist uses shading to define musculature and drapery, creating a sense of volume and depth despite the two-dimensional medium. The composition is carefully balanced, drawing the viewer’s eye towards the central figure of Christ while simultaneously acknowledging the grief-stricken reactions of those surrounding him. This study showcases Raphael's ability to imbue even preliminary sketches with a remarkable degree of artistic sophistication, foreshadowing the grandeur and emotional resonance of the finished painting.

Echoes of Renaissance Humanism

Raphael’s work is deeply rooted in the humanist ideals of the High Renaissance. He wasn’t merely replicating religious iconography; he was exploring the human condition – our capacity for love, loss, and faith. “Study for the ‘Entombment’” exemplifies this approach by focusing on the emotional responses of the figures to Christ’s death. The drawing invites us to empathize with their sorrow, to contemplate the fragility of life, and to reflect on the enduring power of human connection. It’s a testament to Raphael’s genius that he could transform a deeply personal commission into a timeless work of art that continues to resonate with audiences centuries later. Owning a reproduction of this study allows one to connect with the very genesis of a masterpiece, appreciating not only its aesthetic beauty but also the profound human story it embodies.

• Artist: Raphael
• Birth Year: 1483
• Death Year: 1520
• Birth City: Urbino
• Birth Country: Italy

Raphael’s father Giovanni Santi was court painter to the ruler of the small but highly cultured city of Urbino. The reputation of Federico da Montefeltro had been established by Pope Sixtus IV – Urbino formed part of the Papal States – and who died the year before Raphael was born. The emphasis of Federico's court was more literary than artistic, but Giovanni Santi was a poet of sorts as well as a painter, and had written a rhymed chronicle of the life of Federico, and both wrote the texts and produced the decor for masque-like court entertainments. This immersion in a courtly environment, one that valued refinement and intellectual discourse, profoundly shaped the young Raphael's sensibilities.

Federico was succeeded by his son Guidobaldo da Montefeltro, who married Elisabetta Gonzaga, daughter of the ruler of Mantua, the most brilliant of the smaller Italian courts for both music and the visual arts. Under them, the court continued as a centre for literary culture. Growing up in the circle of this small court gave Raphael the excellent manners and social skills stressed by Baldassare Castiglione’s depiction of it in his classic work The Book of the Courtier, published in 1528. Castiglione moved to Urbino in 1504, when Raphael was no longer based there but frequently visited, and they became good friends.

Raphael was enormously productive, running an unusually large workshop and, despite his early death at 37, leaving a large body of work. His career falls naturally into three phases and three styles, first described by Giorgio Vasari: his early years in Umbria, then a period of about four years (1504–1508) absorbing the artistic traditions of Florence, followed by his last hectic and triumphant twelve years in Rome, working for two popes and their close associates. Many of his works are found in the Vatican Palace, where the frescoed Raphael Rooms were the central, and the largest, work of his career. The best known work is The School of Athens in the Vatican Stanza della Segnatura.

After his early years in Rome, much of his work was executed by his workshop from his drawings, with considerable loss of quality. He was extremely influential in his lifetime, though outside Rome his work was mostly known from his collaborative printmaking.