The Dead Christ, supported by the Marys
XVII century. Grey-brown wash, Pencil ground on dark yellow paper.Not on display
The unconscious Virgin is held by Saint John, while Mary Magdalen (?) holds the body of Christ, who is leaning on Mary’s lap. To the right, the other Marys appear sobbing.
Despite the old attribution and Ceán Bermúdez’s assertion that this drawing displays the style of his canvases, it does not seem that the attribution can be upheld. The stiff and sculptural nature of the modelling, very similar types of figures and even the same attitudes suggest that this drawing is indicative of the 16th century, completely unaffiliated with the already known oeuvre of Cerezo. If any significance is to be given to the old inscription, Mateo Cerezo ‘the Elder’ comes to mind, who, in his paintings in Briones (Logroño), used elements of post-Michelangelesque mannerism similar to these works.
Pérez Sánchez, Alfonso E., Catálogo de Dibujos. Vol. I. Dibujos españoles siglos XV-XVII, Madrid, Museo del Prado, 1972, p.141
