Christ Stripped of His Garments

Knighted by Pope Clement VIII, Francesco Vanni was arguably one of the leading artists of late 16th-century Italy. Overlooked for centuries, his importance and particularly his accomplished, prolific output as a draftsman, has only recently been appreciated again and attracted more scholarly attention. Vanni was an important figure in moving religious art away from the mannerism which had dominated the second-half of the 16th century, to a more naturalistic style, with new emotional force, simplified compositions, and greater dynamic impact. Such qualities would come to define early baroque art. Vanni's direct approach is evident in this compositional study, which depicts the Virgin Mary's emotional collapse when Christ is stripped of his garments before the Crucifixion.