Artwork
The Virgin Mary and Five Standing Saints above Predella Panels
The Virgin Mary and Five Standing Saints above Predella Panels is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1443 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This stained glass window presents a multi-panel composition featuring religious figures and devotional scenes.
About this work
A stained glass window of six tall panels. Pointed arches and small architectural scenes top the design, with five standing figures below in robes of blue, red, and gold, some holding books or crosses. Smaller scenes at the base show a kneeling woman, a coat of arms, and figures at prayer. Made around 1443.
Subject & Meaning
As a religious painting dated to 1443, the work follows the devotional altarpiece tradition in which Mary and the saints serve as focal points for prayer.
The Virgin Mary and Five Standing Saints above Predella Panels depicts the Virgin Mary positioned centrally with five full‑length saints standing to either side, while the lower predella shows a coat of arms accompanied by a male and a female figure. As a religious painting dated to 1443, the work follows the devotional altarpiece tradition in which Mary and the saints serve as focal points for prayer. The coat of arms likely identifies a patron or family, and the male and female figures in the predella may represent the donors or symbolic virtues, underscoring the image’s function as a votive object meant to invoke divine protection and express the benefactors’ piety.
History & Provenance
The work titled The Virgin Mary and Five Standing Saints above Predella Panels is dated to 1443, as indicated by its inception date and classification as a painting created that year. It is recorded as an anonymous religious painting in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection, where it has been housed since its acquisition. The piece measures 337.2 cm in height and 71.8 cm in width, reflecting the dimensions typical of early‑15th‑century devotional works.
No explicit commissioning patron or transaction records are documented in the available sources, leaving the original commission context unspecified. The painting’s provenance is presently limited to its inclusion in the museum’s holdings.
Overview
This stained glass window presents a multi-panel composition featuring religious figures and devotional scenes. Six distinct vertical sections are arranged, with the central focus on the Virgin Mary and five standing saints. Below these larger figures, smaller predella-like panels depict additional narrative elements, including kneeling figures and heraldic symbols. The intricate design and vibrant colors are characteristic of the medium's ability to transform light.
Technique & Style
Crafted from stained glass, the artwork employs a technique that allows light to filter through colored panes, creating dynamic visual effects where hues shift depending on the viewing angle. The composition is structured with pointed arches in the upper sections, framing small architectural and figural details. The main figures are rendered in flowing robes of blue, red, and gold, typical of the period's artistic conventions for depicting sacred personages.
Context
Stained glass windows served a dual purpose in medieval religious architecture: they illuminated interiors while simultaneously conveying sacred narratives and figures to the congregation. This particular window exemplifies the tradition of combining devotional imagery with personal patronage, as evidenced by the inclusion of a family's heraldry. Such works were integral to the visual and spiritual experience of worshipers, offering both beauty and didactic content.
Artist & collection
Cusped Lancet head
Architectural Canopy
Nativity, Annunciatory Angel, Adoration of the Magi, Resurrection, Death of the Virgin, The Annunciate, Saints Peter and Lucy, Virgin Mary, Resurrected Christ, Saints John and Barbara
Architectural canopy
Marriage Panel of Gabriel Weydacher and his wife Juliana Wemis with the Virgin and Child and Saints Barbara and Catherine
Madonna of Mercy
Architectural canopy
Border Fragment with Musical Angel
