Virgin and Child with the Holy Relics of Aachen, Master of the Aachen Madonna

Artwork Overview

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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Images

Label texts

Mobile Memory
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.

Exhibitions

Citations

Goddard, Stephen, ed. Teaching from Prints: The Legacy of John Talleur. Lawrence, Kansas: Spencer Museum of Art, The University of Kansas, 2003.