Studie voor een bewening 17th century

This is a drawing in pen and brown ink, with white gouache, showing the lamentation of Christ by an artist known as Pseudo-Gherardi. The image presents a well-worn trope, the body of Christ surrounded by mourning figures. In Renaissance Italy, religious orders commissioned countless images of this type. The purpose of such images was to inspire the faithful to deeper piety. Notice how Christ's limp body is held up by other figures; this is intended to evoke feelings of empathy in the viewer. But the role of the image doesn't stop there. Art historians consult church records, private letters, and other documents to understand how the social history of patronage shaped the production of religious art in Italy. Through such investigations we come to understand that art doesn't just reflect religious and political ideals, it actively constructs them.