Artwork
The Virgin Crowned by Angels
The Virgin Crowned by Angels is an oil painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Stefan Lochner. It dates from 1450 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Stefan Lochner's panel painting depicts the Virgin Mary being crowned by angels, a devotional subject rooted in the tradition of the Coronation of the Virgin.
Stefan Lochner's panel painting depicts the Virgin Mary being crowned by angels, a devotional subject rooted in the tradition of the Coronation of the Virgin. The composition incorporates floral motifs alongside the holy figures, characteristic of Lochner's Cologne workshop practice. Created in the mid-15th century, the work functions as a devotional image within the Christian tradition, combining naturalistic botanical detail with the gold-ground spirituality of the late Gothic style.
Technique & Style
Stefan Lochner executed The Virgin Crowned by Angels around 1450 using oil paint applied to a wooden panel support. The work measures 50.5 cm in height and 29.2 cm in width. Classified as a religious painting, the piece features floral motifs depicted within its composition.
The medium of oil on panel reflects the standard technical approach for late Gothic devotional images of this period.
History & Provenance
The Virgin Crowned by Angels is attributed to Stefan Lochner and was executed circa 1450 as an oil painting on panel. The work was in the ownership of Pinakos Inc. before entering the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is catalogued as accession number 1968.20. It measures 50.5 by 29.2 centimeters.
Context
The Virgin Crowned by Angels, painted by Stefan Lochner around 1450, exemplifies the late Gothic devotional style prevalent in Cologne. Executed in oil on panel, the work combines naturalistic detail with a luminous gold background, reflecting both Netherlandish influences and regional iconographic traditions. Scholars have highlighted the delicate rendering of the Virgin and attendant angels as indicative of Lochner's synthesis of devotional intimacy and formal sophistication within 15th-century Rhenish painting.
Overview
Stefan Lochner, a German artist active in Cologne, created The Virgin Crowned by Angels around 1450. This oil painting depicts the Virgin Mary and Christ Child, surrounded by angelic figures, and features a notable floral motif. The artwork is currently part of the collection at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
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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