# The Body of Christ with Two Angels [View the canonical artwork record]() ## Artwork - Artist: [ALLORI, Alessandro]() - Date: 1551-1600 - Technique: Oil on copper, 45 x 39 cm ## Commentary The Body of Christ with Two Angels c. 1600 Oil on copper, 45 x 39 cm Szépmûvészeti Múzeum, Budapest In this painting the angels are dressing the dead Jesus. The subject is Byzantine in origin and rare in Western art. The mattress, covered with red velvet is a stylized variant of the "red-stone" relic, formerly in the Byzantine Pantokrator church. According to an apocryphal legend, Christ was lying on this stone when the angels anointed him and covered him with the shroud. The legendary event, shown on the small painting on copper, is supplemented with a liturgical reference: on the altar in the background, we can see a chalice, symbolizing the mystery of the Eucharist. Alessandro Allori works with definite contours, models like a sculptor and paints numerous small details. The painting is signed in the centre of the altar-step: ALESSANDRO BRONZINO ALLORI FACEVA. ## Related artworks - [Allegory of Human Life]() - [Allegory of the Christian Church]() - [Annunciation]() - [Fresco decoration \(detail\)]() - [Fresco decoration \(detail\)]() - [Lunette fresco \(detail\)]() - [Most Holy Trinity]() - [Pearl Fishers]() - [Plan for the decoration]() - [Portrait of a Noble Woman]() - [Portrait of a Woman]() - [Portrait of a Young Man]() ## Attribution [Web Gallery of Art]()