Deposition from the Cross
297 x 188 cm; oil on wood panel (FC 133)
The large painting was signed by the well-known and successful painter, architect and art historian Giorgio Vasari (“Giorgio Aretin. Faciebat”), who mentioned it in his Ricordanze (professional record book). He had promised to finish the painting for the friars of the Roman church of Sant’Agostino by 1534, but it was only completed in 1544. Work painting was mostly structured between 1533 and 1538, evidence of which can be seen in the strong influence of the mannerist Francesco Salviati and allusions to Michelangelo’s Pietà. The darkness of the background and the relative lack of space seem to date to the last phase of execution, nearing 1544, in line with the anti-Renaissance tendencies of the Tuscan school at that time. The altarpiece remained in Sant’Agostino until 1661, when it was bought by Camillo Pamphilj for 150 scudi, after he had financed some work in the church.
