Virgin and Child with the Holy Relics of Aachen

Master of the Aachen Madonna

Virgin and Child with the Holy Relics of Aachen, circa 1460

Where object was made: Holy Roman Empire (present-day Germany)

Material/technique: laid paper; metal cut; hand coloring

Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 257 x 178 mm
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 277 x 193 mm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 10 1/8 x 7 1/2 in
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 10 7/8 x 7 5/8 in
Frame Dimensions (Height x Width x Depth): 20 1/4 x 16 1/4 x 1 in
Weight (Weight): 4 lbs

Credit line: Gift from the John and Ann Talleur Collection

Accession number: 2001.0095

Not on display

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Since 1349, the clergy of the Cathedral of Aachen have displayed the church’s holy relics publicly once every seven years. Pilgrims from around the world still travel to Aachen to observe the sacred objects that once touched the holiest persons in the Catholic faith: Mary’s robes, Jesus’ swaddling clothes, the cloth used to hold St. John the Baptist’s head after his execution, and Jesus’ loincloth from the time of his crucifixion. Pictured here, the crowned Mary sits in the Cathedral of Aachen surrounded by these relics. In the 15th century, prints such as this were created for visitors as souvenirs of their completed pilgrimage and to assist with private devotion.