Amnon ucciso da Assalonne

Amnon Killed by Absalom by Lotto depicts the revenge killing that follows the assault on Tamar, as her brother Absalom arranges Amnon’s murder at a feast. This continuation of the Davidic family tragedy forms part of the larger narrative of dynastic violence that Lotto depicted in the Bergamo cycle. Characteristic of the artist's mature approach, the work displays nervous, charged atmosphere in portraits, symbolic objects placed with enigmatic purpose, eclectic absorption of influences from Germany, Raphael, and Giorgione, restless spatial invention.

The assassination scene is rendered with dramatic intensity. Lotto’s treatment of the feast setting juxtaposes the convivial occasion with the sudden violence of the murder.