The Death of the Virgin

c. 1460

German 15th Century

Associated Names
German 15th Century

Artist

This is a painting of a group of figures engaged in a religious gathering. The figures wear robes and haloes, and are arranged closely together. Some are seated while others are standing, engaging in activities like reading and playing musical instruments. Above them, a divine figure observes from an opening in the clouds. The color scheme is warm and earthy, with reds, greens, and browns predominating. The style is reminiscent of illuminated manuscripts or early religious woodcuts.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut, hand-colored in carmine, brown, green, and ochre

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    Overall: 9.7 x 8.1 cm (3 13/16 x 3 3/16 in.)
    overall (external frame dimensions): 39.4 x 31.8 cm (15 1/2 x 12 1/2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.520

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Schreiber, no. 716

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Stiftbibliothek, St. Gallen, Switzerland. Oettingen-Wallerstein Collection, Maihingen. Charles Sessler [1854-1935], Philadelphia; purchased 8 April 1937 by Lessing J. Rosenwald, Jenkintown, PA (L1760b and L1932d); gift to NGA, 1943.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1965

  • Fifteenth-Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts from the Collection of the National Gallery of Art, NGA, 1965-1966, no. 106, repro.

2005

  • Origins of European Printmaking: Fifteenth-Century Woodcuts and Their Public, NGA and Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg, 2005-2006, no. 18, repro.

Bibliography

1926

  • Schreiber, Wilhelm Ludwig. Handbuch de Holz- und Metailschnitte des XV Jahrhunderts. 8 vols. Leipzig: Verlag Karl W. Hierseman, 1926-1930.

1965

  • Field, Richard S. Fifteenth Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts from the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.. Exh. cat. Washington: National Gallery of Art, 1965: no. 106.

Watermarks

none

Wikidata ID

Q64952955

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