The Entombment
ca. 1656–57
Medium
Pen and brown ink
Dimensions
3 7/16 x 6 1/8 in. (8.8 x 15.6 cm.)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1961
Accession Number
61.123.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
Nicolas Poussin'sThe Entombment*, around 1656–57, captures a poignant moment from the biblical Passion of Christ: the lowering of Jesus's body into the tomb the Crucifixion. This intimate pen and brown ink drawing, measuring just 3 7/16 x 6 1/8 inches, exemplifies Poussin's mastery as a draftsman. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (quired via the Rogers Fund 1961), it invites visitors to appreciate the delicate precision of its lines amid the drama of religious narrative. As a leading figure in 17th-century French classicism, Poussin drew inspiration fr...
About the Artist
Nicolas Poussin · 1594–1665
Nicolas Poussin, born in June 1594 near Les Andelys in Normandy, emerged from a family of local distinction whose modest means and parental opposition could not deter his artistic calling. He received his initial training under the itinerant painter Quentin Varin in Rouen around 1611–12, absorbing lessons in storytelling, precise facial expressions, and rich colors, though without a formal long-te...