Workshop of Jacob Cornelisz. van Oostsanen (Netherlandish, c. 1470/75–by 1533)
The Virgin and Saint John the Evangelist
INV-2578
Workshop of Jacob Cornelisz. van Oostsanen (Netherlandish, c. 1470/75–by 1533)c. 1520
The Virgin and Saint John the Evangelist
Workshop of Jacob Cornelisz. van Oostsanen (Netherlandish, c. 1470/75–by 1533) →16th Centurytemperapaint
Date
c. 1520
Medium
Oil on panel
Dimensions
34 × 27.4 cm (13 3/8 × 10 13/16 in.); Framed: 42.6 × 35 × 4.5 cm (16 3/4 × 13 3/4 × 1 3/4 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection
The grief-stricken faces of the Virgin Mary and John the Evangelist once faced another panel referencing the Crucifixion. Their expressive features and weighty three dimensionality make their sorrow over Jesus’s death palpably human, while the golden space that they inhabit reinforces their sanctified status. Netherlandish devotional scenes sought to help viewers reach a liminal space between earthly reality and spiritual vision, a major objective of Christian prayer. Images of Christ’s suffering and his followers’ grief were meant to inspire empathy as a route to personal salvation.
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