The Cross

c. 1500

German 15th Century

Associated Names
German 15th Century

Artist

This is a painting of an ornate red cross surrounded by floral motifs and circular inscriptions. The painting features a vibrant red cross with four equal arms expanding outward, and behind it is a black background adorned with symmetrical floral designs in the corners. The floral motifs incorporate swirling leaves and blossoms. At the top, within the black background, there are two circular elements; inside these circles are the inscriptions "IHS" on the left and "MPA" on the right. The painting is bordered by a yellow frame with a blue outer edge. This is in the style of a stained glass design or religious iconography commonly seen in European religious art.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut, hand-colored in red, pink, and yellow

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.761

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Schreiber, no. 1825, State a

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Ludwig Rosenthal, Munich, Cat. 90 (1892) no. 107; Martin Aufhäuser [1875-1944], Munich, Holland, and Los Angeles; [1] Lessing J. Rosenwald, Jenkintown, PA (L1932d); gift to NGA, 1943.
[1] For more information on Aufhäuser's collection, see Gallery Archives, National Gallery of Art, Rosenwald Papers, Box 9; Lessing J. Rosenwald, Recollections of a Collector, Jenkintown, Pa, 1976, pp. 14-18, 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. 263, 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.

Wikidata ID

Q64953337

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