Jacopo Chimenti, called Jacopo da Empoli
Florence, 1551-1640
Three Marys at the Tomb, 1570s
Oil on panel.
Combining grand shapes, precise drawing, and numerous references to earlier sixteenth-century Florentine artists, this panel is an excellent example of the school’s later development. This scene is based upon the account of the Resurrection in the Gospel of Matthew when Mary Magdalene and Mary, mother of James and Joseph, came to the tomb, expecting to find the body of Christ. A third woman, sometimes referred to as Mary, completes the trio. This altarpiece presents the drama with the simplified composition, the emphatic gesture, and the legible emotion that characterize Counter-Reformation painting.