Artwork

Inner right wing of an altarpiece with St Elizabeth tending the sick in Marburg and the death of St Elizabeth

Master of the St Elizabeth Panels , 1496

Inner right wing of an altarpiece with St Elizabeth tending the sick in Marburg and the death of St Elizabeth is an oil painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Master of the St Elizabeth Panels. It dates from 1496 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

These paired images illustrate the Christian virtue of caritas, selfless love and service to the suffering, as the defining arc of Elizabeth's sanctity.

The panel depicts two episodes from the life of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, a thirteenth-century princess renowned for her charity. In one scene she tends the sick in Marburg; in the other she lies on her deathbed. These paired images illustrate the Christian virtue of caritas, selfless love and service to the suffering, as the defining arc of Elizabeth's sanctity.

The deathbed scene underscores the traditional belief that a life devoted to the poor leads to a blessed end. Together, the scenes present Elizabeth as both active caregiver and model of pious death, offering the viewer a paradigm of earthly compassion rewarded by heavenly promise.

Technique & Style

Created in 1490, the Inner right wing of an altarpiece with St Elizabeth tending the sick in Marburg and the death of St Elizabeth is executed in oil paint on a panel support. The work measures 125.5 cm in height and 108.3 cm in width. Classified as a religious painting by the Master of the St Elizabeth Panels, the piece represents a specific devotional genre within late 15th-century art.

History & Provenance

The panel was painted in 1490 by the Master of the St Elizabeth Panels, an artist or workshop named after this very series of works. It was created as the inner right wing of an altarpiece, depicting scenes from the life of St Elizabeth of Hungary. The painting later entered the collection of Jacques Goudstikker, a prominent Dutch art dealer, before becoming part of the Rijksmuseum collection in Amsterdam, where it remains.

Overview

This oil painting is one panel from a larger altarpiece, created in 1496 by the Master of the St Elizabeth Panels. It is now part of the Rijksmuseum's collection.