Artwork
De zeven werken van barmhartigheid. 2: Het laven van de dorstigen.
De zeven werken van barmhartigheid. 2: Het laven van de dorstigen. is an oil painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Master of Alkmaar. It dates from 1504 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. De zeven werken van barmhartigheid.
About this work
Technique & Style
The panel support and oil medium allowed for the layered glazes and precise detail characteristic of contemporary Netherlandish practice.
The painting is executed in oil on a wooden panel, measuring 103.5 × 56.8 cm. The artist, the Master of Alkmaar, worked in the early Netherlandish tradition, employing oil paint to achieve detailed figuration and rich coloration typical of religious panel painting in the Northern Netherlands around 1504.
As part of a series depicting the Seven Works of Mercy, the composition presents a narrative religious scene with careful attention to human interaction and devotional storytelling. The panel support and oil medium allowed for the layered glazes and precise detail characteristic of contemporary Netherlandish practice.
History & Provenance
The painting Het laven van de dorstigen was created in 1504 by the Master of Alkmaar as part of a commissioned series of seven works depicting the acts of mercy. Executed in oil on panel, the work measures 103.5 cm by 56.8 cm and belongs to the religious art genre. It has been part of the Rijksmuseum collection since its acquisition, remaining on display in Amsterdam.
Het laven van de dorstigen, een werk uit de reeks De zeven werken van barmhartigheid, werd in 1504 geschilderd door de Meester van Alkmaar als een olieverf op paneel. Het is momenteel ondergebracht in het Rijksmuseum, waar het onder inventorynummer SK-A-2005-00001 wordt bewaard. Het schilderij is sinds 2005 onderdeel van de permanente tentoonstelling 'De Meester van Alkmaar: Zeven werken van barmhartigheid' en werd eerder tentoongesteld in het Gemeentemuseum Den Haag in 1978.
Overview
De zeven werken van barmhartigheid. 2: Het laven van de dorstigen is a 1504 oil painting by the Master of Alkmaar, part of a seven-panel series illustrating the Seven Works of Mercy within the Northern Renaissance tradition.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts the second Work of Mercy, 'Giving Drink to the Thirsty'. A central figure in a red robe, holding a horn (likely a water horn), engages a diverse group of people on a gray platform, conveying communal charity.
Context
As part of the Northern Renaissance, the work reflects the period's emphasis on detailed, realistic depictions of religious and social themes, in this case, the Catholic tradition of the Seven Works of Mercy.
Artist & collection
Artist
The Master of Alkmaar was a Dutch painter active around Alkmaar at the beginning of the sixteenth century.
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