The Lamentation of Christ, Jan Cornelisz Vermeyen, c. 1532 - c. 1535

pen, h 180mm × w 257mm More details

The drawing contains all of the drama of a mediaeval Passion play. Particularly poignant is the contrast between the broken body of Christ and the heartrending suffering of the remaining personages. The drawing style, with dense hatching and cross hatching, lends itself well to comparison with the handwriting in Vermeyen’s etchings. A grid of squares has been applied over the depiction, suggesting that the drawing is a design for a painting.