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The Glorification of the Virgin

Geertgen tot Sint Jans1490 - 1495

Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen

Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
Rotterdam, Netherlands

Geertgen tot Sint Jans worked for the Order of Saint John in Haarlem in the late fifteenth century. No more than about ten paintings from his hand are known. This small panel might be one of them, though it could also be the work of an artist in his immediate circle. The panel originally formed the right half of a diptych that was dismantled in the nineteenth century. The second panel, depicting the Crucifixion of Christ, is in the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh. It may have been ordered by a Dominican monk, who would have kept it in his cell and knelt before it to pray, with a rosary in his hands. Several details in the painting allude to the rosary. The coronet under Mary’s crown, for example, is composed of roses arranged in sequences of five white and one red, and two of the angels encircling her hold rosaries in their hands. The painting represents a vision. The Virgin is seated on the moon, where a demon tries in vain to attack her. The angels hovering around her bear musical instruments and the objects associated with the sufferings of her son. The painting is a marvel, a haunting evocation of loftier world.

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  • Title: The Glorification of the Virgin
  • Creator Lifespan: circa 1465 - circa1495
  • Creator Nationality: Dutch
  • Creator Gender: Male
  • Creator Death Place: Haarlem, the Netherlands
  • Creator Birth Place: Leiden, the Netherlands
  • Date Created: 1490 - 1495
  • Theme: Christianity
  • Physical Dimensions: w205 x h245 cm (part of the panel)
  • Painter: Geertgen tot Sint Jans
  • Original Title: De verheerlijking van Maria
  • Artist Information: Little is known about Geertgen tot Sint Jans (c. 1455/65 - c. 1485/95). The most important source is a short biography published by Karel van Mander in his 'painters' book' dated 1604. He called the painter 'Gheerrit van Haerlem', but it is unclear whether he was born in Haarlem or not. There are only a few works that can with certainty be attributed to him. In total, there are around 15 panels that are said to have been painted by him. Geertgen tot Sint Jans died at a young age.
  • Type: Painting
  • Rights: Acquired with the collection of: D.G. van Beuningen 1958, http://collectie.boijmans.nl/en/disclaimer/
  • External Link: Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
  • Medium: Oil on panel
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen

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