Mantegna's Geology: Identifying the Stone of Unction in Christ's Lamentation

A study by paleontologist Rodolfo Coccioni (University of Urbino) and art critic Elena Alfonsi (Casa del Mantegna) analyzes the lithotype of the stone slab in Andrea Mantegna's "Cristo morto nel sepolcro e tre dolenti" (c. 1483, Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan). The slab, identified as the "pietra dell'unzione," shows pinkish tones with bioturbation structures (ichnofossils), suggesting a local sedimentary limestone. Two candidate stones are proposed: Pietra della Lessinia Rosa (or Pietra di Prun Rosa) from the Lessinia area, a regularly stratified limestone with nodular appearance, extracted since the Iron Age; and Marmo Rosa Asiago (Rosa Perlino) from the Asiago plateau, a compact micritic limestone with fine grain. Both stones exhibit bioturbation, matching the painting's details. Mantegna likely chose a humble local material. The article also notes similar ichnofossils in Leonardo da Vinci's works ("Vergine delle rocce," Louvre; "Madonna dei fusi," private collection, New York). Mantegna's "Madonna delle cave" (Uffizi) and "Cristo in pietà sorretto da due angeli" (Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen) further document ancient quarrying techniques. The unguent vase is identified as onyx from South Asia, Middle East, or China.