Sandro Botticelli, Lamentation, Santa Maria Maggiore

Author: Madeleine Lee

Date Published: May 2024

Preferred Citation: Lee, Madeleine. "Sandro Botticelli, Lamentation, Santa Maria Maggiore." Florence As It Was. http://florenceasitwas.wlu.edu/art/lamentation-botticelli-milan.html

Table of Contents:

Sandro Botticelli

Lamentation (1490-95)

Botticelli’s Lamentation for a pillar in Santa Maria Maggiore presents a very similar scene to his other Lamentation that resides in Munich. Christ’s dead body stretches across the composition, and one of the Three Marys holds his head upright. Mary Magdalene rests her head on Christ’s feet, and St. John the Evangelist supports the Virgin Mary as she closes her eyes in grief. All of the figures interlock as they share in their grief, creating both rhythm and chaos.

Bibliography

Legouix, Susan. Botticelli. London: Chaucer Press, 2004. pg. 109.

Musée Luxembourg. Botticelli: From Lorenzo the Magnificent to Savonarola. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2003. pg. 48.