Altarpiece of the Body of Christ

Abstract

This altarpiece in San Lorenzo in Mortara is dedicated to the body of Christ (as is evident from the inscription on the classicizing architecture), but the three painted wood sculptures clearly were not originally placed in the niches together, as they are of of different scales, styles, and subject matter. The two flanking figures, of larger scale than the central one, depict the mourning Virgin Mary and St. John the Evangelist, and must have originally flanked a crucifix. The central figure is insted that of the Resurrected Christ, displaying his wounds but standing triumphantly alive. On the basis of style, the mourners have been attributed to Andrea da Saronno and dated to the very beginning of his career. The more lively, almost nervous energy of the sculpture of Christ has been attributed to Giovan Angelo Del Maino, another specialist in wood active in the area. These sculptures underwent conservation treatment in 1995-6. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.