Corbel
Unknown Artist
15th century
Medium
Limestone
Dimensions
Overall: 13 3/4 x 7 11/16 x 10 1/4 in. (35 x 19.5 x 26 cm)
Classification
Sculpture-Architectural
Culture
French
Department
The Cloisters
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of George Blumenthal, 1934
Accession Number
34.21.16
Tags
About this artwork
This German Pietà, or Vesperbild, from 1375–1400 embodies the intense emotionalism that characterized late medieval devotional art. The term "Vesperbild" derives from the incorporation of such images into vespers, the evening prayer on Good Friday, when the faithful contemplated Christ's suffering and Mary's grief. This sculpture type developed in southern Germany around 1300, reached Italy circa 1400, and became especially popular in Central European devotional practice. The Virgin cradles Chri...