Italian school; After Caravaggio, c. 1800.

Italian school after CARAVAGGIO (Milan, 1571 - Porto Ercole, 1610); c. 1800.
"Holy burial".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
Measurements: 46 x 31 cm; 55 x 41 cm (frame).
This work reproduces the famous painting of the "Holy Burial", made by Caravaggio between 1602 and 1603. The original painting is currently in the Vatican Pinacoteca. The work was created for the ornamentation of the altar of the Pietà of Santa Maria Vallicella. After being seized by Napoleon, after his fall it returned to Italy, specifically to the art gallery of Pius VII. In this work we can appreciate the same composition, the same characters, thus confirming the popularity that the work reached, from the moment it was made by the Italian master who received good reviews and the admiration of artists such as Bellori or Rubens himself who made a copy of the work.
The light is the tenebrist light introduced by Caravaggio: a spotlight, artificial and directed. The author of this canvas thus continues the completely human interpretation that Caravaggio made of the sacred themes, especially in the last fifteen years of his life. It is also worth noting the restrained and almost monochromatic range of colors, which revolve around the ochre, earthy and white colors so typical of the mature Caravaggio.