The Entombment of Jesus
Circa 1180
Fresco
Crypt, Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta
Aquileia, Italy
This is one of the most complete examples of this iconographic type. At Jesus' feet Joseph of Arimathea prepares to wrap the body while a disconsolate Nicodemus stands behind him. St. John kisses Jesus' wounded hand while Mary presses her face to his.
On the left, St. Mary Magdalene raises her arms in anguish, accompanied by three other women. The woman to her right has the same face as the one I identify as Mary Magdalene in the Crucifixion and Deposition panels, so I may be wrong about those panels. At any rate, in this iconographic type it is always Mary Magdalene who raises her arms.
The tomb cut from rock is in the left foreground. Angels mourn above a landscape with a mountain (Calvary?).
According to Tavano (197) opinions range widely as to when in the 12th century the crypt frescos should be dated, but most agree on a date around 1180.
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Photographed at the basilica by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.