The Entombment of Christ

Here Christ’s dead body is lifted on to a tombstone by his disciples. Mary Magdalene kneels and lifts Christ’s wounded hand. Behind Christ, the Virgin Mary faints with grief. The intense emotion of this work is highlighted by bold colour contrasts and dark shadows. This suggests a Venetian influence. Artists in Venice were able to access new pigments and materials through international trade. This allowed artists to experiment with colour. This is one of the artworks presented by the Liverpool Royal Institution. Liverpool’s economic development grew directly from Britain’s involvement with transatlantic slavery: the kidnapping, enslavement and forced migration of people from West Africa to the Americas and many to the Caribbean. Many members of the Royal Institution made their fortunes directly through the trade or indirectly through the wider economy. This wealth was largely how they were able to bring rare art and treasures, such as this, to the city.