Tribute to Vittore Carpaccio A Restored Masterpiece and Venetian Painting around 1500

Vittorio Carpaccio, Preparation of Christ’s Tomb, ca. 1505, Gemäldegalerie, Berlin.

The Preparation of Christ’s Tomb is one of two large-format masterpieces by Vittore Carpaccio (ca. 1465–1525/26), both of which superbly represent the Venetian artist’s oeuvre within the collection of the Gemäldegalerie. Over the course of the past few years, The Preparation of Christ’s Tomb has undergone a painstaking restoration process, which has now enabled the colours of the painting to regain their original vibrancy. Five hundred years on from Carpaccio’s death, the artwork is at the centre of a special presentation that also features several other Venetian paintings from the museum’s own collection, prints and drawings from the Kupferstichkabinett, and even a replica of a panel from Aby Warburg’s Bilderatlas Mnemosyne.

The exhibition presents The Preparation of Christ’s Tomb in both its thematic and artistic context by juxtaposing it with other artworks by Giovanni Bellini, Cima da Conegliano, Palma il Vecchio, Francesco Bissolo and even Carpaccio himself. In addition to these, two priceless items loaned from the Kupferstichkabinett will also be on display: a preparatory sketch by Carpaccio that depicts the dead Christ and an engraving by Andrea Mantegna, which served as a source of inspiration for the Venetian painter.

Carpaccio’s The Preparation of Christ’s Tomb

The Preparation of Christ’s Tomb is an artwork that is remarkable and enigmatic in equal measure. Rather than depicting a more traditional Lamentation scene, the painter chose instead to render the moments between Christ’s death on the cross and his resurrection. In the centre of the painting, Christ’s body is depicted laid out, and behind it an open tomb and Joseph of Arimathea preparing to bathe the corpse. Sitting leaned against a tree is an old man in a contemplative state, who is likely Job, Christ’s Old Testament predecessor. The painting incorporates a number of narrative details embedded within an ideal landscape, thereby underscoring the dichotomy between life and death: skulls and parts of skeletons are featured in the foreground, while in the centre of the image, a group of shepherds can be seen playing music.

For the late Hamburg-based art historian Aby Warburg, The Preparation of Christ’s Tomb was such a significant work of art that he chose to include it in his Bilderatlas Mnemosyne in 1929 alongside works by Donatello and Raphael. The original panel featured in the atlas of images was replicated for this special presentation.

Extensively Analysed and Comprehensively Restored

The poor condition of the painting prompted a comprehensive restoration process, which was conducted by the Gemäldegalerie’s former head conservator, Babette Hartwieg. Layers of varnish and previous rounds of retouching had become discoloured and needed to be removed. The analyses of the painting that were carried out in cooperation with the Rathgen-Forschungslabor had revealed that certain areas of colour had undergone a significant change, which would need to be taken into consideration when deciding on which restoration methods to use. Visitors to the exhibition are offered a wide range of information pertaining to the results of both the analyses and the implemented restoration measures. The brochure “Homage in Detail” by Babette Hartwieg on depiction, technique and condition of the “Preparation of Christ‘s Tomb” is available for download (PDF, 10 MB).