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Annibale Carracci completed this dramatic Baroque scene around 1597-98, depicting the moment Mary Magdalene and two other women discover Christ's empty tomb. An angel sits on the stone sarcophagus, explaining the resurrection to the astonished figures. The composition brilliantly synthesizes classical sculpture, Raphael's Vatican tapestries, and the dramatic lighting that defined Roman Baroque painting.
The work was commissioned by Lelio Pasqualini, a Roman canon at Santa Maria Maggiore who maintained one of the era's notable antiquarian collections. Scholars believe the painting's unusual composition reflects Pasqualini's classical interests. The canvas measures 121 by 145.5 centimeters.
After passing through the W. Coesvelt collection in London, the painting entered the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg in 1836. It remains one of the finest examples of Carracci's religious work, showing his masterful blending of Renaissance traditions with Baroque emotion.

Claude Monet
State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg

Leonardo da Vinci
State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg

Rembrandt van Rijn
State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg

Tintoretto
State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
Other masterpieces from the Baroque movement

Frans Hals, 1624
Wallace Collection, London
Johannes Vermeer, 1666
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Johannes Vermeer, 1665
Mauritshuis, The Hague

El Greco, 1614
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Johannes Vermeer, 1670
Louvre, Paris, Paris

Johannes Vermeer, 1664
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Johannes Vermeer, 1663
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Diego Velázquez, 1650
National Gallery, London
Luxury wall art with the same mood and energy. Gallery-quality canvas, no museum crowds.
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