This carved wood, hand-painted sculpture shows the body of Jesus being mourned by the Virgin Mary and two other women. The three figures are wearing flowing garments and are light-skinned. Mary, on our left, is wearing a red and gold dress with an outer cloak covering her head and body. She is cradling the head of Jesus, who lays outstretched on a blanket across the front of the three figures. The woman in the center has a headpiece with a long scarf that hangs towards the body. The woman on our right is kneeling and has her hands clasped in prayer. Her round, flat hat is held with a fabric chinstrap. All three women have bowed heads and downcast eyes toward the body of Jesus. The body and blanket are dramatically lighter than the three female figures of red and gold. The bearded Jesus has closed eyes and mouth and is wearing a golden loincloth. His upper hand is turned downward showing a hole through the center of his palm and his feet have holes as well. The sculpture rests on a wooden base decorated with a large carved braid.
German, Upper Rhine
Pietà,
about 1500
Polychromed wood
,
42.5 x 50 cm (16 3/4 x 19 11/16 in.)
Object details
Accession number
S28e16
Primary Creator
German, Upper Rhine
Full title
Pietà
Creation Date
about 1500
Provenance
Purchased by Isabella Stewart Gardner from the art dealer Julius Böhler, Munich for 280 marks on 17 August 1897, through the Austrian conductor Wilhelm Gericke (1845-1925).
Dimensions
42.5 x 50 cm (16 3/4 x 19 11/16 in.)
Display Media
Polychromed wood
Web Commentary
Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.
Permanent Gallery Location
Chapel
Bibliography
Gilbert Wendel Longstreet and Morris Carter. General Catalogue (Boston, 1935), p. 257. (as South Bavarian, about 1500)
Anneliese Harding. German Sculpture in New England Museums (Boston, 1972), pp. 31, 83, no. 29. (as Rhenish-Westphalian, about 1470-1480)
Cornelius C. Vermeule III et al. Sculpture in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston, 1977), p. 85, no. 12. (as Rhenish or Netherlandish, about 1500)
Rights and reproductions
The use of images, text, and all other media found on this website is limited. Please review Rights and Reproductions for details.
Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.