Christ Carried to the Tomb

Christ Carried to the Tomb — Claude Mellan. 1678.

Medium: engraving. Dimensions: Sheet: 44.1 x 29.2 cm (17 3/8 x 11 1/2 in.); Support: 47 x 37 cm (18 1/2 x 14 9/16 in.); Matted: 55.9 x 40.6 cm (22 x 16 in.).

Collection record: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland. Museum connection according to this source; current display unverified.

The French engraver Claude Mellan spent time in Rome, where he developed a unique engraving style that uses simplified linear patterns and swelled lines to create optical, almost abstract effects. He created Christ Carried to the Tomb later in his career, when he had fully developed his linear approach to engraving, using swelled lines alone, without the use of crosshatching. The subject of Christ’s burial procession was somewhat unusual among works of the period, and Mellan went further to highlight a lesser-known passage from the biblical book of Matthew in the foreground that describes the resurrection of saints after Christ’s death on the cross. This rather obscure subject matter aligned with Mellan’s emphasis, throughout his career, on presenting engravings that offered something unique and extraordinary to his audience of collectors.

Source: official collection record. Metadata selected and normalized by Artline from the source export, accessed 10 September 2026; no museum endorsement. Reproduction rights are separate.