Our work Our creative programme Shape Collection Tom Shakespeare - Dead Christ Interested in this artwork? Email us about loans Originally inspired by the Gothic Nightmares exhibition at Tate Britain, the Triptych is a conversation between Tom Shakespeare and some of the great works from the Renaissance to the modern era, centring on the theme of human embodiment. The triptych is Shakespeare’s largest body of visual work to date and consists of The Nightmare (After Fuseli), Figure with Meat (After Bacon), and Dead Christ (After Mantegna). Dead Christ is based on Shakespeare’s idea that the early attempt at perspective in Mantegna’s original creates an optical illusion in which Christ appears to have achondroplasia (Shakespeare’s form of dwarfism). Title Dead Christ (after Mantegna) Artist Tom Shakespeare Year 2008 Medium Giclée prints Dimensions 70 x 80 (cm) Image description Photographic artwork showing a male figure of short stature - holes in his hands and feet - lying on a hard, flat surface. He is loosely draped in cloth, though his bare torso is exposed. The photograph mimics a famous painting by Mantegna which depicts the body of Christ supine on a marble slab. Loan status Available Check out the rest of the Shape Collection Work is available to loan on request. If you have any queries about the Shape Collection please contact [email protected] Manage Cookie Preferences