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Triptych of the Virgin and Child with Saints

A work made of oil and tempera on panel.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of oil and tempera on panel.

Date:

1505–15

Artist:

South German

About this artwork

In this triptych, Mary, crowned as the queen of heaven, is surrounded by female saints in an enclosed garden (called a hortus conclusus) evoking paradise. Singled out on the right wing is Saint Ursula, thought to have been a British princess who set out on a pilgrimage to Rome, only to be martyred along with her throng of companions, depicted here at a miniature scale. Saint Agnes, another martyr of the early Christian era, is on the left wing. The gold framing arches refer to the combination of gilded sculpture and painting that was a common feature of German altarpieces in this period. The emphasis on youthful, female saints suggests that this was a devotional triptych for a community of nuns.

Status

On View, Gallery 207

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Title

Triptych of the Virgin and Child with Saints

Place

Germany (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1520–1530

Medium

Oil and tempera on panel

Inscriptions

Inscribed: Center panel: ·SCA·CECILIA, ·SA·AGATHA, ·SA· MARGARE-TA, ·SCA·LVCIA, ·SA·BARBARA, ·S·APPOLONIA [sic] (on ha-los from left to right), HR· (on Saint Barbara’s belt), ihs (on Saint Apollonia’s bodice); left wing: ·SA·VRSVLA (on halo), GGGGG (on belt of virgin at lower left), GHOV[O] (on hemline of virgin at lower right), Crucifige (exterior, twice on banderoles); right wing: SA·AGNETIS (on halo), Innocens ego / sum a sanguin[e] / iusn huius (exterior, on banderole)

Dimensions

Center: 139.5 × 103.3 cm (54 7/8 × 40 11/16 in.); Painted surface: 137 × 101 cm (53 15/16 × 39 3/4 in.); Left wing, painted surface: 137.5 × 41.9 cm (54 1/16 × 16 5/8 in.); Right wing, painted surface: 137 × 41.6 cm (53 15/16 × 16 3/8 in.)

Credit Line

Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection

Reference Number

1933.1065

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/16336/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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