The Resurrection
Meet the artist
PPiero della Francesca1415–1492Italian
Dates
c. 1460
Specifications
- Original title
- La Resurrezione
- Dimensions
- 225 × 200 cm
About the Artwork
One of the supreme masterworks of the Italian Renaissance, painted c.1460 in Sansepolcro. Christ rises from his marble sarcophagus at dawn, his gaze directed outward with unsettling intensity. Four Roman soldiers slump asleep below.
The landscape carries rich symbolism: barren trees on the left, lush foliage on the right, representing death and renewal. Organized with geometric precision reflecting Piero's mathematical interests.
Aldous Huxley called it "the greatest painting in the world." During WWII, a British officer reportedly spared the town from bombardment after recalling that description.
Same feeling, different artists
