The Standing Virgin Lamenting the Dead Christ at the Foot of the Cross
Medium
Pen and black ink, pink, blue and gray wash.
Dimensions
12 3/4 x 8 1/16 in. (32.4 x 20.5 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Harry G. Sperling, 1971
Accession Number
1975.131.233
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the somber glow of early 17th-century German, *The Standing Virgin Lamenting the Dead at the Foot of the* captures a poignant moment of divine sorrow. Attributed to Johann Matthias K or an anonymous German artist, this 1614 drawing depicts the Virgin Mary in quiet anguish at the base of the cross, her son lifeless above her—a classic Pietà motif rooted in Catholic devotion during the Counter-Reformation. Created amid Europe's religious upheavals, such works fostered emotional piety, inviting viewers to meditate on Christ's sacrifice and Mary's profound grief. Executed in pen and black ink ...