Cleveland Museum of Art

The Death of the Virgin

Martin Schongauer

Date

1470–75

Medium

engraving

Culture

Germany

Department

Prints

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

According to the apocryphal Gospel by Pseudo-Matthew, the apostles were present at the Virgin Mary's death. Here, the apostles all gather around Mary's deathbed, as Christ's mother—shown as a young woman due to her immaculate state—is about to draw her last breath. Saint John supports the lighted candle that the Virgin can not longer hold by herself. Other apostles perform the last rites for Mary and look at her with sorrow and concern. This print belongs to a set of four engravings considered to be an incomplete series of episodes of the Life of the Virgin, which also includes The Nativity (1939.448), The Adoration of the Magi (1942.1070), and The Flight into Egypt (1954.260). The attentive rendering of the candlestick at the foot of Mary's bed testifies to Schongauer's familiarity with metalworking.

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