The Entombment of Christ

This painting had long been attributed to the extravagant Genoese painter Alessandro Magnasco, whose Mythological Scene with Ruins is also in the Blanton's collections. Conservation treatment in 2005 revealed drawing that is firmer, light that is sharper, and a palette that is more varied than in Magnasco’s works. Between 1694 and 1697 Sebastiano Ricci was engaged in major projects in and around Milan. His influence upon Magnasco, long active inthe Lombard capital, is evident in many works and well known. This painting, on the other hand, represents the reciprocal but less recognized response of Ricci to the highly eccentric and deforming style of the Genoese master.