Master of Mary's Death

Joos van Cleve (Master of Mary's Death): The Death of the Virgin. Around 1520, Munich, Alte Pinakothek

Joos van Cleve (Master of Mary's Death): The Death of the Virgin. Around 1515, Cologne, Wallraf-Richartz-Museum

For a long time in art history, a medieval painter whose name was not known was referred to as the Master of the Death of Mary or Master of the Death of Mary . From this two triptychs originally coming from Cologne churches were preserved, the middle parts of which depict the death of Mary, the mother of Jesus . Created in 1515 and around 1525, they were bought by the art collectors Sulpiz Boisserée and Ferdinand Franz Wallraf in the 19th century and can be found today in the Wallraf-Richartz Museum in Cologne and in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.

The images of the death of the Virgin show a strong Dutch influence. The Master of the Death of the Virgin is said to have a knowledge of the painting style of the Flemish painter and co-founder of the Antwerp school of painting, Quentin Massys , as well as an Italian influence, for example in the choice and representation of motifs in the death scene. For a long time, speculations have been made as to what the true identity of Master might be. Jan Joest , a Lower Rhine-Dutch painter from Kalkar on the Lower Rhine, was suggested among others .

Today the pictures of the death of the Virgin are considered to be the work of Joos van Cleve . The two altarpieces are considered to be one of his main works and are exhibited under his name today.

Works

• Winged altar, central panel: Death of the Virgin, 1515, wood, 65 × 126 cm. Cologne, Wallraf-Richartz-Museum.
• Winged altar, central panel: Death of the Virgin, before 1523, wood, 132 × 154 m. Munich, Alte Pinakothek.

literature

• Ludwig Scheibler : A new picture of the master of the death of Maria , in: Journal for Christian Art . 4, 1891, pp. 138ff.
• Oscar Eisenmann: Catalog of the Kgl. Painting gallery at Cassel . Kassel 1888,
• Ludwig Kaemmerer: A marked work by the master of the death of Maria . In: Yearbook of the Royal Prussian Art Collections. 11 (1890), pp. 150-160
• Richard Muther: History of Painting. Volume II . GJ Göschen'sche publishing house 1900
• Jacob Burckhardt: Works. Critical Complete Edition: Works, Vol. 6, The Altarpiece, The Portrait in Painting, The Collectors . Munich 2000 (based on the original version from 1905)
• Max J. Friedländer: The old Dutch painting. Volume 9: Joos van Cleve, Jan Provost, Joachim Patenier . Leiden 1934
• Leo van Puyvelde: The older Flemish masters . Amsterdam 1941
• Rainer Budde, Roland Krischel (ed.): The Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, 100 masterpieces; from Simone Martini to Edvard Munch . Cologne 2000

Web links

• The death of Mary with donors , from Hacqueney's house chapel, picture of the week 06/2007, Wallraf-Richartz-Museum