Bolognese school; c. 1600

Bolognese school possibly ALFONSO LOMBARDI (Ferrara, 1497-Bologna, 1537); second half of the sixteenth century.
"Lamentation over the body of Christ".
Modeled terracotta without polychrome.
It presents faults and restorations.
Measurements: 29 x 14 x 11 cm (larger): 6 x 24 x 11 cm (smaller).
Before us is presented a touching sculptural group composed of ten figures modeled in fired terracotta, attributable to the Bolognese school around 1600. This work, of religious and ceremonial character, represents with dramatic intensity the scene of the Lamentation over the body of Christ, one of the most pathos-filled episodes in Christian iconography. The group is fully within the spirit of the Counter-Reformation and embodies the aesthetic and devotional aspirations of the early Italian Baroque.
The composition is structured around the central figure of the recumbent Christ, whose lifeless body is supported by the Virgin Mary, accompanied by St. John, Mary Magdalene, the other Marys, Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus and several devout figures. Each figure is conceived with a psychological and gestural individuality that, without breaking the unity of the group, adds narrative depth to the moment represented.
Terracotta, a ductile and expressive medium, has been worked with surprising mastery. The faces show a rich range of emotions, captured with anatomical fidelity and delicate sensitivity. The bodies, in varying degrees of movement and recollection, reveal a profound knowledge of the human body and a search for naturalism that emanates from Renaissance classicism, but which already opts for the pathos of the emerging Baroque. The folds of the dresses, the twitching hands, the faces unhinged by weeping, all speak of a profoundly theatrical dramatic intention.
The aesthetic qualities of the work bring us closer to the production of the artist Alfonso Lombardi, Italian sculptor and medalist. Despite his short life, he developed an intense and prolific artistic career, especially in the city of Bologna, where many of his works are still preserved in churches and public spaces of great importance. His artistic activity was mainly focused on working with stucco and terracotta, although he also showed skill in marble sculpture and in the realization of bronze reliefs. His initial training took place in his hometown of Ferrara, where he became familiar with the materials he would continue to use throughout his career. Around the age of twenty, he moved to Bologna, where he quickly began to receive public commissions.

One of his first works in the city was a painted terracotta statue simulating bronze, depicting Hercules defeating the Hydra of Lerna. In 1522, he was commissioned to create a sculptural ensemble for the oratory of Santa Maria della Vita, composed of fourteen figures depicting the Transitus of the Virgin, considered by many to be his masterpiece. Around 1524, he executed the group of the Compianto sul Cristo morto for the cathedral of San Pietro, where his adherence to the Emilian tradition of terracotta funerary sculpture is evident. However, his style introduces a greater emotional restraint compared to his predecessors, such as Guido Mazzoni or Niccolò dell'Arca. His prestige was definitively consolidated in Bologna during the visit of Emperor Charles V on the occasion of his coronation in 1530.