The Deposition (Borghese Entombment)

Raphael painted this The Deposition (also called the Borghese Entombment) in 1507 for a church in Perugia. It depicts Christ's body being carried to the tomb, surrounded by mourning figures including the Virgin Mary, who swoons with grief.

Raphael based the composition on ancient Roman sarcophagi showing the death of Meleager. The muscular bearers strain under Christ's weight, creating a sense of physical effort unusual in religious painting. The patron, Atalanta Baglioni, commissioned the work in memory of her murdered son. She later tried to prevent Cardinal Scipione Borghese from removing it to Rome, but papal authority prevailed. It hangs in the Borghese Gallery.