Giovanni Bellini (1438–1516) was a renowned 15th-century Venetian painter and was recognized for his harmonious use of color. His paintings featured diverse Renaissance and late Gothic styles. The masterpiece Lamentation over the Dead Christ(1475) is one of the finest works of Italian art, and it demonstrated Bellini's maturity. The work portrays the anointing of Christ’s body before his entombment. The four figures—Christ, Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus, and the Magdalene—are depicted.