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From March 4 until June 12, the Kimbell will display one of Titian鈥檚 most compelling masterpieces, The Entombment of Christ, on loan from the Museo del Prado, Madrid. Created by the Venetian painter at the height of his illustrious career, the work displays the mastery of color and expressive brushwork that have earned Titian an unrivaled reputation even to this day.
Following the Gospel account, Titian depicts Christ鈥檚 burial taking place in a rocky cave, indicated at left. However, details of the imagery conform with the description of the event in The Humanity of Christ (1535) by his friend Pietro Aretino鈥攖he white sheet underneath Christ, the Virgin grasping her son鈥檚 arm, incredulous that his hands had been pierced with nails, and Nicodemus supporting Christ鈥檚 upper body, with Joseph of Arimathea at his feet and between them the Virgin, Saint John, and Mary Magdalene. The monumentalized figures, along with Titian鈥檚 fractured brushwork and chromatic splendor, convey the anguish of the scene. Heightening the drama, the Magdalene rushes forward in a flux of light, her ethereal form dematerializing to suggest the spirit, countering the harsh corporality of Christ鈥檚 muscular body. Nicodemus is probably a self-portrait of Titian, who thereby bears witness to Christ鈥檚 sacrifice.
The authority of classical antiquity pervades the composition. On the stone sarcophagus are depicted scenes of the Sacrifice of Isaac and Cain and Abel鈥擮ld Testament events that prefigure Christ鈥檚 sacrifice. A small tablet is inscribed with Titian鈥檚 name and 鈥淎EQVES CAES.鈥濃�攊mperial knight鈥攁n honor bestowed on Titian by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. The Entombment was commissioned by the emperor鈥檚 son, King Philip II of Spain, Titian鈥檚 greatest patron. The painting鈥檚 emotional power and complexity made it particularly meaningful to the monarch. In 1574, the painting was transferred to the Escorial鈥攖he royal residence and monastery northwest of Madrid. It was hung above an altar in the Old Church, where the bodies of members of the royal family had been temporarily interred. From a window in his austere bedchamber, the devout king could view the altar鈥攁nd contemplate his own mortality.