Madonna and Saint Bridget

c. 1480/1500

German 15th Century

Associated Names
This image depicts a religious scene featuring two figures near a child, against a backdrop of hills and a distant castle. The figures are interacting with the infant, who is laid on a cloth or cradle. Both wear robes, one of which is blue, and have halos. The background shows hills leading to a structure resembling a castle or town with red-roofed towers. The image features distinct outlines and a limited color palette typical of late medieval or early Renaissance works. The composition includes intricate line work with a stylized simplicity often found in art from this period. The style is reminiscent of early devotional woodcut prints from centralized Europe, potentially influenced by Albrecht Dürer's German woodcuts.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut, hand-colored in blue, yellow, tan, orange, and red

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.569

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Schreiber, no. 1139


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Martin Aufhäuser [1875-1944], Munich, Holland, and Los Angeles; [1] purchased 19 August 1939 by Lessing J. Rosenwald, Jenkintown, PA (L1760c and L1932d); gift to NGA, 1943.
[1] For complete information on Aufhäuser's collection, see Rosenwald Papers, box 9, and Richard S. Field, Fifteenth Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts, Washington, D.C., 1965, Preface (np).

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1965

  • Fifteenth-Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts from the Collection of the National Gallery of Art, NGA, 1965-1966, no. 174, 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. 174.

Watermarks

none

Wikidata ID

Q64953012

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