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Pietro da Ponte, one of the first art historians to study the work, called it "a canvas notable for the great expression of melancholy in its figures". In 1913, Tancred Borenius correctly dated it to the painter's youth, made the link to the Deposition Altarpiece and noted the strong similarities between its figure of Mary Magdalene and the woman at Jesus' feet in Moretto's much later Supper in the House of Simon the Pharisee (1550). Borenius also compared the Lament to the Deposition Altarpiece , attributed to Paolo Caylina the Younger and likely completed around the same time.The question of "who copied who" remained unanswered for a long time and was only resolved in 1965. Gaetano Panazzo, after the Deposition Altarpiece was restored, was able to compare the works' technique and palette. From his study, the work of Caylina used effects of color and light that "had great weight for Moretto, not only as a youth. Panazzo observed that "there is even visible a sweetness, a dull calm in the emotions, glances, and rhythms".Camillo Boselli, who analyzed Lament in 1954, emphasize its use of almost modern lighting techniques—clearer than that of the Deposition Altarpiece in a way that reinforces the tragedy of the scene. He noted how the figures "cling" to the body of Christ, while they turn to create a heightened, dynamic sense of drama.There are at least 3 extant copies of Lament. Two are in private Italian collections and one is in the parish church of San Giovanni Battista in Coccaglio, Brescia.
Mary Magdalene Jesus Moretto Mary Paolo Caylina the Younger Coccaglio Brescia