Artwork
The Seven Works of Mercy
The Seven Works of Mercy is an oil painting by Master of Alkmaar. It dates from 1504 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Technique & Style
Created in 1504 by the anonymous Master of Alkmaar, the painting exemplifies early Netherlandish panel painting practices of the period.
The Seven Works of Mercy is executed in oil paint on panel, measuring 103.5 by 56.8 cm. The work belongs to the genre of religious art, depicting the traditional charitable acts as its main subject. Created in 1504 by the anonymous Master of Alkmaar, the painting exemplifies early Netherlandish panel painting practices of the period. The compact dimensions suggest it may have functioned as a devotional or didactic image, typical of religious works produced in the Northern Netherlands at the turn of the sixteenth century.
History & Provenance
The panel was painted in 1504 by the Master of Alkmaar, as indicated by the work’s documented date and maker.
It entered the Rijksmuseum’s holdings as inventory number SK-A-2815-4, where it remains located. The painting’s early history is otherwise undocumented; no surviving records trace a private ownership chain before its acquisition by the museum.
Overview
The Seven Works of Mercy is a 1504 oil painting by the Master of Alkmaar, a Dutch artist active in Alkmaar during the early 16th century.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts the seven corporal acts of mercy, showing a group of people performing acts of kindness, such as helping those in need, in a busy scene divided into two parts.
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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