(Bologna 1578–1660)
The Lamentation of Christ with the Madonna, Saint John and Angels,
oil on copper, 23.2 x 26.8 cm, framed

We are grateful to Catherine Puglisi for confirming the attribution of the present painting. She considers the painting an important addition to Albani’s late oeuvre.

The composition shows the body of Christ supported by Angels and surrounded by the Madonna and Saint John the Evangelist with the Symbols of the Passion. A related painting described by Albani in a letter from 1658 infers that he made several pictures of this subject-matter (‘il soggetto è il medesimo Christo morto fra gl’Angeli […]’, see C. Puglisi, Francesco Albani, New Haven 1999, p. 220, no. L22).

Francesco Albani, studied with the Flemish-born painter Denys Calvaert, and then with Ludovico Carracci and he was also strongly influenced by Annibale Carracci’s classicism. He worked in Rome as well as Bologna, painting altarpieces, frescoes and cabinet pictures. His lyrical painterly qualities were celebrated in his lifetime. His work was especially appreciated during the 18th century. The small-scale, exquisitely finished panels, such as the present work, were especially appreciated by French collectors.