Scene from Ars Moriendi: The Art of Dying, School of the Upper Rhine

Artwork Overview

School of the Upper Rhine, Scene from Ars Moriendi: The Art of Dying
School of the Upper Rhine, Scene from Ars Moriendi: The Art of Dying
School of the Upper Rhine
Scene from Ars Moriendi: The Art of Dying
late 1400s
Scene from Ars Moriendi: The Art of Dying, late 1400s
Where object was made: Rhine River Valley region, present-day Switzerland, France, and Germany
Material/technique: oil; panel
Dimensions:
Canvas/Support (Height x Width x Depth): 30.5 x 24.8 cm
Canvas/Support (Height x Width x Depth): 12 1/2 x 9 3/4 in
Credit line: Museum purchase
Accession number: 1959.0041
Not on display
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Label texts

Exhibition Label: "Corpus," Apr-2012, Kris Ercums This image depicts the administration of the Eucharist, possibly of the Last Rites, to an emaciated, bedridden man. He is attended by a Dominican nun, and a priest whose head is ensconced in a golden halo. The strangely lifelike crucifix held by the nun, the haloed dove, and the figure of God the Father peering down from the panel’s upper left corner allude to the presence of the Trinity. This image is closely related to popular late-medieval texts on the Ars Moriendi, or Art of Dying, which instructed the pious on how to meet death with grace and dignity informed by devotion. By the late-15th century, these texts were often accompanied by printed illustrations, which served to transmit imagery associated with death and the Last Rites.