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Fra Angelico, The Dead Christ

Fra Angelico, The Dead Christ
Accession number: PD.25-2003

Florence, c.1432–34 pen and brown ink, brown wash, red wash and lead white on paper

This moving drawing invites quiet and prolonged contemplation. Christ appears suspended, floating in the neutral space of the paper in a scene that is sorrowful but peaceful. Flashes of brilliant red vividly recall the piercing of his flesh. The figure is copied from a large altarpiece by the same artist, indicating how images could create links between the church and home.

Cambridge, The Fitzwilliam Museum

Bought from the Perceval Fund with contributions from the National Art Collections Fund, now the Art Fund, and Mark Fisch through Cambridge in America

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