Art Institute of Chicago

The Death of the Virgin

Martin Schongauer

Date

c. 1470

Medium

Engraving in black on ivory laid paper

Culture

Germany

Department

Prints and Drawings

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

In this touching interpretation of the death of Jesus’s mother Mary, Martin Schongauer displays a painter’s sense of light and shadows. He outlines the figures and fabric folds with a continuous line, implying volume and depth through fine hatching, following the contours of his forms. Schongauer was the first graphic artist from Germany originally trained as painter. When he decided to make engravings, a logical choice given that his father was a goldsmith, Schongauer was not constrained by traditional techniques. Executed with conviction and compositional clarity, Schongauer’s masterful engravings were widely distributed, influencing generations of printmakers.

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