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A woman wearing a long, royal-blue dress is surrounded by nine winged angels as she floats on a thin, bright white, downward-pointing crescent moon above a deep landscape with a town tucked into rolling hills in this vertical painting. The woman, Mary, and all the angels have pale, peachy skin and long, brown hair. Mary and the angels float against a pale yellow and pale peach field of light enclosed within a mass of steel-gray clouds. She presses her fingertips together in front of her chest and gazes down and to our right, her dark eyes almost closed. She has a delicate, straight nose, and her small mouth is closed. Her brown hair parts in the middle and flows down over her shoulders. The angels wear flowing gowns in sky or topaz blue, olive green, tangerine orange, white, or light pink, each with matching wings. Three angels place a gold crown on Mary's head. Four others hold up the edges of a silvery white cape, which is fastened across her shoulders with brooches of white pearls surrounding ruby-red stones. The final two angels hold up the downward-facing points of the crescent moon beneath her. In the landscape below, groupings of trees are dotted among the rolling hills, with a village in the distance to our left. The blue, hazy horizon comes about a sixth of the way up the composition. A brown boulder sits in the bottom left corner, closer to us. The paint is visibly cracked throughout.

Michel Sittow

The Assumption of the Virgin, c. 1500

West Building, Main Floor - Gallery 39

Medium

oil on panel

Dimensions

painted surface: 21.1 x 16.2 cm (8 5/16 x 6 3/8 in.)
overall (panel): 21.3 x 16.7 cm (8 3/8 x 6 9/16 in.)

framed: 35.5 x 31.1 cm (14 x 12 1/4 in.)

Credit Line

Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

Accession Number

1965.1.1

Artists / Makers

Michel Sittow (artist) Netherlandish, c. 1469 - 1525

Image Use

This image is in the public domain.
Read our full Open Access policy for images .

Provenance

Queen Isabel of Castile [d. 1504], castle of Toro, Zamora province. Diego Flores, by 13 March 1505, possibly as agent for Margaret of Austria.[1] Margaret of Austria, Regent of the Netherlands [d. 1530], Mechelen.[2] Jules Quesnet, Paris, by 1904.[3] Private collection, Zurich, from c. 1941;[4] (Feilchenfeldt, Zurich, by 1964); purchased 1965 by NGA.

[1] Francisco Javier Sánchez Cantón, "El retablo de la reina Católica," Archivo Español de Arte y Arqueología 6 (1930): 97-103.

[2] Inventories of 1516 and 1524. André Joseph Ghislain le Glay, Correspondence de Maximilien Ier et de Marguérite d'Autriche..., 2 vols., Paris, 1839: 2:481-482.

[3] See Exposition des primitifs français, exh. cat., Paris, Musée du Louvre and Bibliothèque Nationale, 1904: no. 111.

[4] Letter of 31 October 1960 from Mrs. Walter Feilchenfeldt, in NGA curatorial files.

Associated Names

Feilchenfeldt, Walter M.
Flores, Diego
Isabel of Castile, Queen
Margaret of Austria, Regent of the Netherlands
Private Collection, Zurich
Quesnet, Jules

Exhibition History

1904: Exposition des primitifs français, Musée du Louvre and Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, 1904, no. 111, as a follower of the Master of Moulins.

1969: In Memoriam, Ailsa Mellon Bruce, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1969, unnumbered checklist.

1991: Circa 1492: Art in the Age of Exploration, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1991-1992, no. 42, repro.

1992: Hispania-Austria: Die Katholischen Könige - Maximilian I und di Anfange der Casa de Austria in Spanien, Schloss Ambras, Innsbruck (part of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna), July-September 1992, no. 53a, repro.

1992: Reyes Y Mecenas: Los Reyes Católicos - Maximiliano I y los Inicios de la Casa de Austria en España, Museo de Santa Cruz, Toledo, Spain, March-May 1992, no. 208, repro.

2018: Michel Sittow: Estonian Painter at the Courts of Renaissance Europe, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Kumu Art Museum, Tallinn, Estonia, 2018, no. 3.

Technical Summary

The panel consists of a single piece of wood with a vertical grain. The painted surface comes to the edge of the panel at the bottom, but there are unpainted margins on the other three sides. A thin band estimated to be lead white runs along the left and top edges of the painted surface. A nick in the panel at the top edge slightly to the right of center has been filled. The x-radiograph shows a very dense layer, probably containing lead white, applied over all with diagonal parallel strokes. Its purpose is unclear.[1] Contrary to Jazeps Trizna's statement,[2] the painting is in very good condition. There are some small areas of loss and inpainting in the Virgin's blue robe, at the edge of the paint surface, and along the vertical crackle pattern.

[1] The back of the panel is bare wood and is inscribed FR at upper right and Marie Stre 12 juin... in the center, along with other illegible notations.

[2] Trizna 1976, 90.

Bibliography

1904: Bouchot, Henri. L'Exposition des primitifs français. Paris, 1904: not paginated, pl. 81.

1904: Durrieu, Paul. "L'exposition des primitifs français." Revue de l'art ancien et moderne 16 (1904): 419.

1904: Fry, Roger. "The Exhibition of French Primitives." The Burlington Magazine5 (1904): 369-370, repro. 371.

1904: Lafenestre, Georges. "L'exposition des primitifs français." Gazette des Beaux-Arts 32 (1904): 127.

1907: Winkler, Friedrich. "Juan de Flandes" and "Zittoz, Miguel." In Thieme-Becker. 37 vols. Leipzig, 1907-1950: 19(1926):278-279, 36(1947):531-533.

1929: Friedländer, Max J. "Neues über den Meister Michiel und Juan de Flandes." Der Cicerone 21 (1929): 249-254, 115-118, 132, pl. 25.

1930: Sánchez Cantón, Francisco Javier. "El retablo de la Reina Católica." Archivo Español de Arte y Arqueologia 6 (1930): 101-105, 132, pl. 25.

1931: Isherwood, Kay H. "Two Paintings by Juan de Flandes." The Burlington Magazine 58 (1931): 197-201.

1931: Sánchez, Cantón, Francisco Javier. "El retablo de la Reina Católica (Addenda et corrigenda)." Archivo Español de Arte y Arqueologia 7 (1931): 150.

1931: Winkler, Friedrich. "Master Michiel." Art in America 19 (1931): 247-248, 252, fig. 2.

1931: Winkler, Friedrich. "Neue Werke des Meisters Michiel." Pantheon 7 (1931): 175-178.

1932: H[ulin] de L[oo], [Georges]. In Trésor de l'art flamand du moyen âge au XVIIIme siècle. Mémorial de l'exposition de l'art flamand ancien à Anvers 1930. 2 vols. Paris, 1932: 1:50.

1933: Post, Chandler Rathfon. A History of Spanish Painting. 14 vols. Cambridge, Mass., 1930-1966: 4:35, 38, 470.

1935: Baldass, Ludwig. "The Portraiture of Master Michiel." The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs 67, no. 389 (August 1935): 77, 78, 81.

1939: Richardson, E. P. "Three Paintings by Master Michiel." The Art Quarterly 2 (1939): 103.

1940: Johansen, Paul. "Meister Michel Sittow, Hofmaler der Königin Isabella von Kastilien und Bürger von Reval." Jahrbuch der königlich Preussischen Kunstsammlungen (Jahrbuch der Berliner Museen) 61 (1940): 2, 16-17, 35, fig. 8.

1943: Winkler, Friedrich. "Neuentdeckte Altniederländer III: Michel Sittow." Pantheon 31 (1943): 98.

1948: Weinberger, Martin. "Notes on Maître Michiel." The Burlington Magazine 90 (1948): 251.

1950: Sánchez Cantón, Francisco Javier. Libros, tapices y cuadros que coleccionó Isabel la Católica. Madrid, 1950: 188.

1952: MacLaren, Neil. National Gallery Catalogues. The Spanish School. London, 1952: 22, 24-25 (2d ed. rev. by Allan Braham, 1970: 42-43, 45-46).

1953: Michel, Edouard. Musée National du Louvre. Catalogue raisonné des peintures du moyen âge, de la renaissance et des temps modernes. Peintures flamands du XVe et du XVIe siècle. Paris, 1953: 182.

1956: Lépicier, Augustin-Marie. L'Immaculée Conception dans l'Art et l'Iconographie. Spa, 1956: 76, pl. 4.

1958: Gaya Nuño, Juan Anotonio. La pintura española fuera de España; historia y catàlogo. Madrid, 1958: 305, no. 2662.

1958: Margareta van Oostenrijk en haar hof. Exh. cat. Mechelen, 1958: 10, under no. 86.

1959: Brans, Jan V. L. Vlaamse Schilders in dienst der Koningen van Spanje. Louvain, 1959: 44, 189.

1961: Goldblatt, Maurice H. Deux grands maîtres français, le maître de Moulins identifés, Jean Perréal, 40 portraits identifiés. Paris, 1961: 42, fig. 18.

1962: Bermejo, Elisa. Juan de Flandes. Madrid, 1962: 11.

1962: Puyvelde, Leo van. La peinture flamande au siècle de Bosch et Breughel. Paris, 1962: 355, 455-456.

1963: Folie, Jacqueline. "Les oeuvres authentifiées des primitifs flamands." Bulletin de l'Institut royal du Patrimoine artistique 6 (1963): 245-246, fig. 36.

1965: Eisler, Colin T. "The Sittow Assumption." Art News 64 (September, 1965): 34-37, 52-54, fig. 1.

1965: Summary Catalogue of European Paintings and Sculpture. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1965: 123.

1966: Cairns, Huntington, and John Walker, eds. A Pageant of Painting from the National Gallery of Art. 2 vols. New York, 1966: 1:94-95, color repro.

1966: "Chronique des arts." Gazette des Beaux-Arts 67 (1966): 46, no. 179, repro.

1966: Gudlaugsson, S. J. "Sittow (Zittoz)." In Kindlers Malerei Lexicon. 6 vols. Zurich, 1968: 5:363.

1966: Schiller, Gertrud. Ikonographie der christlichen Kunst. 6 vols. Gütersloh, 1966-1990: 4, pt. 2:151, 257, 423 fig. 743.

1967: Christie, Manson & Woods. Christie's Review of the Year, October 1966 - July 1967. London, 1967: 25.

1967: Reynaud, Nicole. "Le Couronnement de la Vierge de Michel Sittow." RLouvre 17 (1967): 345-351, fig. 3.

1968: Koch, Robert A. Joachim Patinir. Princeton, 1968: 30.

1968: National Gallery of Art. European Paintings and Sculpture, Illustrations. Washington, 1968: 110, repro.

1970: Cooke, Hereward Lester. The National Gallery of Art in Washington. Munich and Ahrbeck/Hanover, 1970: 66-67, color fig. 30.

1970: Davies, Martin. Primitifs flamands. Corpus. The National Gallery London. 3 vols. Brussels, 1970: 3:9, 11.

1974: Walker, John. Self-Portrait with Donors: Confessions of an Art Collector. Boston and Toronto, 1974: 42-44.

1975: European Paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1975: 330, repro.

1976: Lurie, Ann Tzeutschler. "The Birth and Naming of St. John the Baptist Attributed to Juan de Flandes. A Newly Discovered Panel from a Hypothetical Altarpiece." Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 63 (1976): 119, 129, 132, 133, fig. 26.

1976: Trizna, Jazeps. Primitifs flamands. Contributions. Michel Sittow, peintre revalais de l'école brugeoise (1468-1525/26). Brussels, 1976: VIII, 25-28, 73, 91-92, pls. 1-3.

1977: Campbell, Lorne. Review of Michel Sittow ... by Jazeps Trizna. In Apollo 105 (1977): 225.

1978: Bruyn, Josua. Review of Michel Sittowpeintre revalais de l'école brugeoise 1468-1525/26 by Jazeps Trizna. In Oud Holland 92 no. 3 (1978): 212-213.

1981: Demus, Klaus, Friderike Klauner, and Karl Schütz. Kunsthistorisches Museum. Flämische Malerei von Jan van Eyck bis Pieter Bruegel der Ä. Vienna, 1981: 176.

1982: Kauffmann, C. M. Victoria and Albert Museum. Catalogue of the Paintings in the Wellington Museum. London, 1982: 78.

1984: Bauman, Guy C. "Juan de Flandes." In The Jack and Belle Linsky Collection in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 1984: 62; 63 nt.2 under no. 20.

1984: Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Rev. ed. New York, 1984: 138, no 134, color repro., as by Miguel Sithium

1985: European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 377, repro.

1985: Haverkamp-Begemann, Egbert. "Paintings by Michiel Sittow Reconsidered." In Rubens and his World. Bijdragen opgedragen aan Prof. Dr. Ir R.-A. d'Hulst. Antwerp, 1985: 8.

1986: Hand, John Oliver and Martha Wolff. Early Netherlandish Painting. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, 1986: 236-240, color repro. 237.

1991: Brown, Jonathan. The Golden Age of Painting in Spain. New Haven, 1998: 10, fig. 2.

1991: Circa 1492: Art in the Age of Exploration. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1991: no. 42, color repro. 162.

1994: Stratton, Suzanne L. The Immaculate Conception in Spanish Art. Cambridge, UK: 52-53, fig. 33.

1998: Apostolos-Cappadona, Diane. "Virgin/Virginity." In Encyclopedia of Comparative Iconography: Themes Depicted in Works of Art. Edited by Helene E. Roberts. 2 vols. Chicago, 1998: 2:905.

1998: Brown, Jonathan. Painting in Spain, 1500-1700. New Haven, 1998: 19, fig. 23.

1999: Mittler, Gene A., and Rosalind Ragans. Exploring Art. New York, 1999: 80-81, fig. 5.2.

2002: Eichenberger, Dagmar. "The Habsburgs and the Cultural Heritage of Burgundy." In Borchert, Till-Holger. The Age of Van Eyck: The Mediterranean World and Early Netherlandish Painting 1430-1530. Exh. cat. Groeningemuseum, Bruges, 2002. London, 2002: 192-193, fig. 213.

2004: Hand, John Oliver. National Gallery of Art: Master Paintings from the Collection. Washington and New York, 2004: 56-57, no. 39, color repro.

2005: Snyder, James. Northern Renaissance Art: Painting, Sculpture, the Graphic Arts from 1350 to 1575. Revised by Larry Silver and Henry Luttikhuizen. Upper Saddle River, 2005: 213, col. fig. 10.27.

2008: Nash, Susie. Northern Renaissance Art. Oxford History of Art series. Oxford, 2008: 236, 237, fig. 165.

2009: Frinta, Mojmír S. "Observation on Michel Sittow." Artibus et historiae 30, no. 60 (2009): 140-141, 144, color fig. 1, 1a.

2011: Weniger, Matthias. Sittow, Morros, Juan de Flandes: Drei Maler aus dem Norden am Hof Isabellas der Katholischen. Kiel, 2011: 55, 74-77, no. 4, fig. 17, 37.