The Veiled Christ by Giuseppe Sanmartino, 1753
Even Antonio Canova was envious of this sculpture. That’s saying a lot.
The Story Behind The Veiled Christ (from Museo Cappella Sansevero)
Placed at the centre of the nave of the Sansevero Chapel, the Veiled Christ is one of the most famous and impressive works of art in the world. It was the Prince’s wish that the statue be made by Antonio Corradini, who had already done Modesty for him. However, Corradini died in 1752 and only managed to make a terracotta scale model of the Christ, which is now preserved in the Museo di San Martino.
So Raimondo di Sangro appointed a young Neapolitan artist, Giuseppe Sanmartino, to make “a life-sized marble statue, representing Our Lord Jesus Christ dead, and covered in a transparent shroud carved from the same block as the statue”.
Front view. Notice his crown of thorns and the nails.
The sculpture was so unbelievable, they thought it was magic.
Legend of the Veil (from Wikipedia)
Over the centuries, the masterful depiction of the veil has acquired a legend, in which the original commissioner of the sculpture, the famous scientist and alchemist Raimondo di Sangro teaches the sculptor how to transform cloth into crystalline marble. For about three centuries, in fact, many visitors to the Cappella, amazed by the veiled sculpture, erroneously believed it to be the result of an alchemical “marblification” performed by the prince, who was meant to have laid a real veil on the sculpture and to have transformed this into marble over time by means of a chemical process.
In reality, a close analysis leaves no doubt that the work was entirely produced in marble and this is also confirmed by some letters written at the time of its production.
This is an example of the divine art that inspired The Sculptor series.
Could you find words to describe it?
Photo credits
exactly… without death, we wouldn’t care so much about life… it would just be something which was “there” and taken for granted. But if we are lucky, we are able to appreciate and revel in life, because we know death is to follow. In life, we falter, sometimes feeling as if we are living with a blindfold… the veil to me is the same concept.
as for the dictionary… good thing I am a single lady hahahah
in the beauty I see the death, which is opposition to what I feel beauty should be. Life. The veil hides even the death after the life is removed.
Or maybe, after 21 years, I need to quit reading the dictionary every night as my nighttime reading.
I think life is only so beautiful because of death. If it went on forever, it wouldn’t be so precious.
And there’s nothing wrong with reading the dictionary. I think I’ll follow your lead and keep one in my bathroom.
inimical beauty. wow
Interesting choice of word. Why inimical?
There are no words. The only word that comes close is amazing.