Pieta

Nicolas Poussin painted multiple versions of the Pietà throughout his career. His Lamentation over the Body of Christ from around 1655-1657 depicts the moment after Christ's body has been embalmed, about to be interred. The somber composition is veiled in darkness.

Joseph of Arimathea kneels at the tomb entrance while St. John raises Christ's head. Mary Magdalene kisses Christ's hand as the grief-stricken Virgin wipes tears with her blue cloak. Poussin used model figures arranged in a perspective box to plan his lighting. A version resides at the National Gallery of Ireland in Dublin.