Artwork
Sts Anthony the Hermit, Cornelius and Mary Magdalen with a Donor
Sts Anthony the Hermit, Cornelius and Mary Magdalen with a Donor is a wood painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Stefan Lochner. It dates from 1445 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The donor's inclusion personalizes the image, transforming a generic sacred gathering into a specific act of pious commemoration.
The panel brings together three saints with a lay donor in a devotional composition. Saint Anthony the Hermit, a desert father long associated with monastic withdrawal and the temptation of the flesh, is shown alongside Saint Cornelius, a pope traditionally linked with the protection of cattle and crops, and Mary Magdalene, whose iconography centers on penitence, the anointing of Christ, and her role as a witness to the Resurrection. The pairing of a hermit, an ecclesiastical figure, and a penitent saint reflects a deliberate program of intercession: the donor, presented in the company of these holy figures, seeks their combined prayers for salvation.
By including Mary Magdalene alongside two male saints, the work also engages with the late medieval cult of the Magdalene as a model of conversion and contemplative love, themes that resonated strongly in Cologne devotional practice during the mid-fifteenth century. The donor's inclusion personalizes the image, transforming a generic sacred gathering into a specific act of pious commemoration.
History & Provenance
The painting is held by the Bavarian State Painting Collections and is located at the Alte Pinakothek. Its dimensions are 120 × 80.6 cm. No inventory or accession number is provided in the available sources, and no exhibition history is documented.
Overview
Created in 1445, this panel painting by Stefan Lochner portrays a small devotional group set against a dark backdrop. The central saint, identified as Anthony the Great, is flanked by Saint Cornelius and Mary Magdalene, while a kneeling donor is positioned at their feet. The composition is compact, with each figure rendered in vivid attire that stands out against the somber background, conveying a mood of quiet reverence.
Technique & Style
Executed on a wooden panel, Lochner employs the delicate line work and luminous color palette characteristic of the International Gothic, while integrating a nascent naturalism associated with early Northern Renaissance art. Fine detailing, such as the patterned border on the donor’s robe and the subtle modeling of fabrics, demonstrates the artist’s skill in rendering texture and light within a relatively flat pictorial space.
Artist & collection
Artist
Stefan Lochner (the Dombild Master or Master Stefan; c. 1410 – late 1451) was a German painter working in the late International Gothic period. His paintings combine that era's tendency toward long flowing lines and…
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