Allegory of the Redemption

The altar frontal in San Mois�, Roccatagliata’s last work, was entirely unknown before being given to that church in 1779 by Antonio Damiani. A very individual and intensely emotional work, it depicts an Allegory of the Redemption. On the right is a group of weeping women; among them stands St John, while above is a cascade of angels. In the bottom centre is Christ, whose massive body (completely out of proportion to the other figures) is covered, except for his head and right arm, by a swarm of angels who carry him to the tomb. Above, separated from the scene below by a diagonally held cross, floats a fierce God the Father supported by angels. At the left tower are two trees that shade the tomb, around which grieves a group of men, with one lone woman in the left corner. Space is compacted, almost non-existent.

The relief, which is one of the most extraordinary objects in 17th-century Venetian sculpture, combines Mannerist refinement of touch with Baroque emotionalism. It marks the first tentative advance of a Venetian relief sculptor into the territory of Baroque.

The picture shows the relief after restoration in 2011.