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Raising of Lazarus (Sebastiano del Piombo)
Encyclopedia
The Raising of Lazarus is a large altarpiece by the Italian
High Renaissance
artist Sebastiano del Piombo
. It is housed in the National Gallery of London, England.
In 1516 the archbishop of Narbonne, then Cardinal Giulio de' Medici
(later Pope Clement VII), commissioned a Raising of Lazarus from Sebastiano Luciani (as the artist was then called – the nickname del Piombo came in 1531) in competition with Raphael
's late masterpiece the Transfiguration
, commissioned earlier that year for a church in Rome. In the event, as described by Vasari the Raphael was preferred, and the Sebastiano sent to his cathedral, which it is unlikely he ever visited. As well as following the Transfiguration chronologically, the theme of Lazarus
's resurrection was especially appropriate for the cathedral at Narbonne, which had relics of Lazarus. Compositional drawings for the figures of Lazarus and his two attendants were supplied by Michelangelo
, who, in addition to being a friend of Sebastiano, was eager to show up his bitter rival Raphael.
The Gospel of Saint John
divides the story of the miracle into three parts: Jesus bids the people take the stone from the tomb, He tells Lazarus to rise, and then He tells him to unbind his shroud. Sebastiano shows the third of these commands. In the background the Pharisees
are depicted plotting Christ's death.
Between about 1715 and his death in 1723, the Regent of France, Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
, persuaded the Narbonne authorities to let him have the painting for the Orleans Collection
in Paris. In 1771 the painting was transferred from wooden panel to canvas and some of the pigments have as a result lost their brightness, most notably the red of Christ's robe, which has turned pink. In the early 19th century The Raising of Lazarus was part of the collection of the London
banker John Julius Angerstein
. When the Angerstein collection was bought by the British government in 1824 for the foundation of the National Gallery
the canvas was catalogued as NG1, making it officially the first painting to enter the National Gallery.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
High Renaissance
High Renaissance
The expression High Renaissance, in art history, is a periodizing convention used to denote the apogee of the visual arts in the Italian Renaissance...
artist Sebastiano del Piombo
Sebastiano del Piombo
Sebastiano del Piombo , byname of Sebastiano Luciani, was an Italian Renaissance-Mannerist painter of the early 16th century famous for his combination of the colors of the Venetian school and the monumental forms of the Roman school.- Biography :Sebastiano del Piombo belongs to the painting school...
. It is housed in the National Gallery of London, England.
In 1516 the archbishop of Narbonne, then Cardinal Giulio de' Medici
Pope Clement VII
Clement VII , born Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici, was a cardinal from 1513 to 1523 and was Pope from 1523 to 1534.-Early life:...
(later Pope Clement VII), commissioned a Raising of Lazarus from Sebastiano Luciani (as the artist was then called – the nickname del Piombo came in 1531) in competition with Raphael
Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino , better known simply as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form and ease of composition and for its visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur...
's late masterpiece the Transfiguration
Transfiguration (Raphael)
The Transfiguration is considered the last painting by the Italian High Renaissance master Raphael. It was left unfinished by Raphael, and is believed to have been completed by his pupil, Giulio Romano, shortly after Raphael's death in 1520...
, commissioned earlier that year for a church in Rome. In the event, as described by Vasari the Raphael was preferred, and the Sebastiano sent to his cathedral, which it is unlikely he ever visited. As well as following the Transfiguration chronologically, the theme of Lazarus
Lazarus of Bethany
Lazarus of Bethany, also known as Saint Lazarus or Lazarus of the Four Days, is the subject of a prominent miracle attributed to Jesus in the Gospel of John, in which Jesus restores him to life four days after his death...
's resurrection was especially appropriate for the cathedral at Narbonne, which had relics of Lazarus. Compositional drawings for the figures of Lazarus and his two attendants were supplied by Michelangelo
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art...
, who, in addition to being a friend of Sebastiano, was eager to show up his bitter rival Raphael.
The Gospel of Saint John
Gospel of John
The Gospel According to John , commonly referred to as the Gospel of John or simply John, and often referred to in New Testament scholarship as the Fourth Gospel, is an account of the public ministry of Jesus...
divides the story of the miracle into three parts: Jesus bids the people take the stone from the tomb, He tells Lazarus to rise, and then He tells him to unbind his shroud. Sebastiano shows the third of these commands. In the background the Pharisees
Pharisees
The Pharisees were at various times a political party, a social movement, and a school of thought among Jews during the Second Temple period beginning under the Hasmonean dynasty in the wake of...
are depicted plotting Christ's death.
Between about 1715 and his death in 1723, the Regent of France, Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
Philippe d'Orléans was a member of the royal family of France and served as Regent of the Kingdom from 1715 to 1723. Born at his father's palace at Saint-Cloud, he was known from birth under the title of Duke of Chartres...
, persuaded the Narbonne authorities to let him have the painting for the Orleans Collection
Orleans Collection
The Orleans Collection was a very important collection of over 500 paintings formed by the French prince of the blood Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans, mostly acquired between about 1700 and his death in 1723...
in Paris. In 1771 the painting was transferred from wooden panel to canvas and some of the pigments have as a result lost their brightness, most notably the red of Christ's robe, which has turned pink. In the early 19th century The Raising of Lazarus was part of the collection of the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
banker John Julius Angerstein
John Julius Angerstein
John Julius Angerstein , was a London merchant, Lloyd's under-writer, and patron of the fine arts. The imminent prospect that his collection of paintings was about to be sold by his estate, in 1824, galvanized the founding of the National Gallery, London.Angerstein was born in St Petersburg, Russia...
. When the Angerstein collection was bought by the British government in 1824 for the foundation of the National Gallery
National Gallery, London
The National Gallery is an art museum on Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The gallery is an exempt charity, and a non-departmental public body of the Department for Culture, Media...
the canvas was catalogued as NG1, making it officially the first painting to enter the National Gallery.