Jan Borman the Younger, Brussels, 1479 - 1520

Jan Borman the Younger
Brussels, 1479 - 1520
Circle Of
Entombment of Christ
Carved oak, polychrome painted & gilt
29 x 27 x 8.5 cm

This group of figures depicts the entombment of Christ, with eight people gathered around the body of Christ, which lies in a deep sarcophagus. One of the men is holding the head of Christ, with a long beard and half bald head. To his left is another man kneeling, with a full head of hair and beard, and behind him are two other middle-aged men. Behind them are two younger, beardless men, one of whom is shown with a hat and the other with long curls. The latter is presumably the favorite disciple John. He is supporting the mourning female figure on his left, who is wearing her long hair loose under her veil. This is probably Mary Magdalene, who has crossed her arms in prayer in front of her chest and is looking down at Christ. Her left wrist is clasped by the second female figure on the far right. This is Mary, who is emphasized in the composition as a grieving mother by her white veil under her cloak. She is looking desperately up to heaven and not down to her son. He still wears the crown of thorns that distinguishes him as King of the Jews. His curly hair falls over his shoulders and his face is also turned towards the sky, his head stretched limply backwards. He is wrapped in a golden cloth, dressed like the other figures in this group. The dark braids on the man on the front left could indicate that they were originally silver-plated and are now oxidized.

The Bible mentions two men who bury Jesus, namely Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. According to tradition, Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus down from the cross and buried him in a rock tomb (Mt 27:57-61; Mk 15:42-47; Lk 52-56). However, from the 15th century onwards, the number of accompanying figures increased to six or even eight. At the same time, the image type of the Entombment was merged with that of the Lamentation of Christ. This led to an immediate sympathy on the part of the viewer and its emphasized function as a devotional image, especially in a time of plague epidemics. The Entombment became an extremely popular theme in which painful experiences became identifiable with the suffering of Christ. Compositionally related is a Flemish altarpiece from the 15th century (Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C., inv. no. 1956.11.62). A tomb relief from the early 16th century has survived from Antwerp (MET, New York, inv. no. 16.32.221), which has numerous parallels. However, the example presented here appears more detail-oriented and harmonious in the conception of the figures and their communication with one another.

An interesting eye-catcher is the Gothic pilgrim's bag attached to the belt of Joseph of Arimathea's robe on the far right. The foot of the sarcophagus is probably occupied by Nicodemus, who is often shown wearing a turban-like headdress (cf. Museum of Fine Arts Ghent, inv. no. 1952-AN). The other figures, which cannot be clearly identified, could represent Jews, as it is also recorded that Jesus was buried by a group of Jews (Acts 13:28-29). Such small-scale, multi-figure reliefs were very popular in the period around 1500 and are characteristic of the carving art of Brabant, Brussels and Antwerp. The compositional staggering upwards as well as the fine details such as the pilgrim's bag and the carefully carved, volute-shaped curls are also typical and point to the circle of Jan Borman the Younger (cf. Saint Peter, around 1480-1500, former collegiate church of St. Peter and Guido in Anderlecht). Works by this Flemish carver of the late Gothic period were widespread. He was a master of multi-figured, animated scenes, and his art had a wide range of effects, as is evident in this group of figures. The individual gestures of the people in deep mourning lend the tomb group an aspect of liveliness in its vertical orientation, as a counterpoint to the rigid horizontal of the sarcophagus and body of Christ.

Literature:
Marjan Debaene (ed.), Borman. A Family of Northern Renaissance Sculptors, London/Turnhout 2019.
Kim W. Woods, Art & Visual Culture 1100-1600: Medieval to Renaissance, London 2012.