The Entombment

Delacroix's The Entombment of 1820, his earliest religious painting and almost certainly his student work, depicts Christ being lowered into the tomb from the cross in the tradition of Caravaggio and Rubens's great Entombment compositions. The painting demonstrates his extraordinary technical formation even at twenty-two, the figures' emotional responses ranging from the Virgin's anguished collapse to the male disciples' controlled grief. The painting reveals his early engagement with the Italian Baroque tradition that would remain a constant source of inspiration throughout his career.

The somber palette and dramatic lighting reveal Delacroix's close study of Venetian and Flemish masters. The heavy, physical rendering of Christ's body and the grief-stricken attendants demonstrate his early command of emotional figure painting.