Lamentation over the Dead Christ

Marco Palmezzano painted this Lamentation over the Dead Christ for the Courtauld Gallery. Working in Forlì throughout his career, Palmezzano was the faithful perpetuator of Melozzo da Forlì's monumental style, producing a steady stream of altarpieces and devotional panels for churches across the Romagna for over four decades. The tempera medium required careful preparation on a gessoed panel and a disciplined layering technique that produced precise, durable surfaces suited to the intricate detail expected of devotional painting.

The Lamentation scene shows Palmezzano's characteristic solid volumetric figures and clear coloring, with the architectural or landscape backdrop and firm contour drawing derived from his master Melozzo's approach.