JUNI, Juan de
(b. 1506, Joigny, d. 1577, Valladolid)

Entombment

1544
Polychrome wood
National Museum of Religious Carvings, Valladolid

The Entombment group was executed for the Bishop of Mondonedo, Antonio de Guevara. Originally it formed the decoration of the lower part of an altarpiece. The artist took great pains with the composition of his group: six life-size figures surround the body of Christ in an oval; the accentuated contapposto and the related gestures create a dynamic balance that draws the gesticulating protagonists into a concentrated unity. The source of inspiration for this group must be in the Lombard sculpture of Milan or Bologna.