Kaisheimer Grablegung

Hans Holbein the Elder painted this Kaisheim Entombment around 1500 as part of the major altar cycle. The Entombment, depicting Christ's body being placed in the tomb, was the penultimate scene before the Resurrection in the Passion narrative. Holbein's version demonstrates his ability to convey grief through restrained gesture and expression. 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.

Oil on panel with Holbein's tonal sophistication and careful rendering of the mourning figures. The composition balances the horizontal body of Christ with the vertical figures of the mourners in a harmonious arrangement.