Skip to main content

Annibale Carracci, 'The Dead Christ Mourned ('The Three Maries')', about 1604

Key facts
Full title The Dead Christ Mourned ('The Three Maries')
Artist Annibale Carracci
Artist dates 1560 - 1609
Date made about 1604
Medium and support oil on canvas
Dimensions 92.8 × 103.2 cm
Acquisition credit Presented by Rosalind, Countess of Carlisle, 1913
Inventory number NG2923
Location Room 37
Collection Main Collection
Previous owners
The Dead Christ Mourned ('The Three Maries')
Annibale Carracci
/

This is perhaps the most poignant image in the National Gallery’s collection of the pietà – the lamentation over the dead Christ following his crucifixion. It was a subject to which Annibale Carracci returned frequently, especially during the last decade of his life.

Here, the limp and lifeless body of Christ lies in the lap of his mother, the Virgin Mary. A distraught Mary Magdalene kneels on the right, hands raised and mouth open in a wail of anguish. At the back an older woman in dark green reaches out towards the fainting Virgin, whose weight is supported by a fair-haired young woman.

The composition is built on strong diagonals and our eye is guided around the picture by colour, gaze and expression. Annibale has skilfully concentrated our attention on each figure and her emotional response in turn. His ability to paint different emotions is exactly what appealed to later admirers of this painting, which brilliantly combines formal classicism with intense human sentiment.

Download image
Download low-resolution image

Download a low-resolution copy of this image for personal use.

License this image

License and download a high-resolution image for reproductions up to A3 size from the National Gallery Picture Library.

License image
Download low-resolution image

This image is licensed for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons agreement.

Examples of non-commercial use are:

  • Research, private study, or for internal circulation within an educational organisation (such as a school, college or university)
  • Non-profit publications, personal websites, blogs, and social media

The image file is 800 pixels on the longest side.

As a charity, we depend upon the generosity of individuals to ensure the collection continues to engage and inspire. Help keep us free by making a donation today.

Download low-resolution image

You must agree to the Creative Commons terms and conditions to download this image.

Creative Commons Logo