Fine Art Poster
From £28
A giclée print on 200gsm matte fine art paper, using a twelve-colour process for accurate, fade-resistant colour. Supplied unframed, delivered flat or rolled.
The Descent from the Cross - Andrea Mantegna
Regular price
£28.00 GBP
Sale price
£28.00 GBP
Regular price
Archival giclée
Frames arrive ready to hang
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Made to order
Description
A masterful Renaissance engraving by Andrea Mantegna, depicting the removal of Christ from the cross with anatomical precision and dramatic linear detail.
This engraving by Andrea Mantegna depicts the removal of Christ from the cross, a subject frequently explored by artists of the Italian Renaissance. Mantegna, known for his rigorous approach to form and perspective, employs a sharp, linear style that defines the musculature of the figures and the jagged texture of the rocky terrain. The composition is structured around the central cross, with ladders providing a geometric framework for the figures engaged in the labour of lowering the body.
To the left, the mourning figures are grouped in a tight arrangement, their postures conveying a sense of weight and grief. The figure of Christ is rendered with anatomical precision, reflecting Mantegna's interest in classical sculpture and human proportion. The background features a distant city and a stark, barren tree, which adds to the sombre atmosphere of the scene. The use of parallel hatching and cross-hatching creates a sense of volume and depth, typical of Mantegna's printmaking technique. This work demonstrates the artist's ability to translate the sculptural qualities of his paintings into the medium of engraving, where the clarity of line becomes the primary vehicle for expression.
As a master of the North Italian school, Mantegna influenced many of his contemporaries through his prints. This specific work is noted for its dramatic tension and the stark, almost sculptural quality of the figures. The rocky foreground, with its layered, stratified appearance, provides a grounding element for the narrative. The entire scene is contained within a clear, rational space, characteristic of the artist's commitment to mathematical perspective. This print remains a significant example of early Italian engraving, showing the technical skill required to achieve such tonal variation using only black ink on paper.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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We ship worldwide, printing at the production hub nearest to your delivery address. Delivery times and costs vary by destination — you'll see the options available to you at checkout.
Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Complete The Look
The Descent from the Cross - Andrea Mantegna
Regular price
From £28.00 GBP
Sale price
From £28.00 GBP
Regular price
Fine Art Poster / A4 (21x29.7 cm) / -
Artist Biography
Andrea Mantegna
Mantegna sued his adoptive father. Francesco Squarcione, a Paduan painter and dealer, had taken the boy in around 1441 when Mantegna was roughly ten years old, the son of a woodworker. Squarcione ran a workshop that profited from apprentice labour, and when Mantegna realised the arrangement was exploitative, he took the older man to court. A judge ruled in his favour in 1448, making him legally independent at seventeen.
Padua in the 1440s was the first centre of Renaissance humanism in northern Italy. Donatello was working there on the bronze reliefs for the Basilica of Sant'Antonio; Paolo Uccello and Filippo Lippi had both passed through. Mantegna absorbed their experiments with perspective and classical form, then pushed further. His frescoes in the Ovetari Chapel (completed 1457, largely destroyed by Allied bombing in 1944) showed figures seen from below with an architectural conviction no northern Italian painter had attempted before.
In 1453 he married Nicolosia Bellini, daughter of the Venetian painter Jacopo Bellini, binding himself to the most powerful artistic dynasty in the Veneto. The relationship was productive in both directions: Giovanni Bellini, his brother-in-law, learned from Mantegna's sculptural precision while Mantegna gradually absorbed the Venetians' sensitivity to light and atmosphere, though he never fully abandoned his preference for hard, lapidary surfaces.
From 1460 until his death in 1506, Mantegna served as court painter to the Gonzaga family in Mantua. The Camera degli Sposi (completed 1474) was the first room in European painting to use illusionistic decoration across walls and ceiling as a unified architectural space. The ceiling's famous oculus, a circular opening revealing figures peering down from a balustrade against open sky, was a joke that fooled visitors and influenced decorative painting for two centuries.
Padua in the 1440s was the first centre of Renaissance humanism in northern Italy. Donatello was working there on the bronze reliefs for the Basilica of Sant'Antonio; Paolo Uccello and Filippo Lippi had both passed through. Mantegna absorbed their experiments with perspective and classical form, then pushed further. His frescoes in the Ovetari Chapel (completed 1457, largely destroyed by Allied bombing in 1944) showed figures seen from below with an architectural conviction no northern Italian painter had attempted before.
In 1453 he married Nicolosia Bellini, daughter of the Venetian painter Jacopo Bellini, binding himself to the most powerful artistic dynasty in the Veneto. The relationship was productive in both directions: Giovanni Bellini, his brother-in-law, learned from Mantegna's sculptural precision while Mantegna gradually absorbed the Venetians' sensitivity to light and atmosphere, though he never fully abandoned his preference for hard, lapidary surfaces.
From 1460 until his death in 1506, Mantegna served as court painter to the Gonzaga family in Mantua. The Camera degli Sposi (completed 1474) was the first room in European painting to use illusionistic decoration across walls and ceiling as a unified architectural space. The ceiling's famous oculus, a circular opening revealing figures peering down from a balustrade against open sky, was a joke that fooled visitors and influenced decorative painting for two centuries.
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Fine Art Framed
From £45
The same fine art print in a solid wood frame with UV-protective acrylic glaze and rigid backing. Five frame colours. Arrives ready to hang.
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