The Virgin and Saint John the Evangelist

About this artwork

…; ? a church near Tiel;{Oral communication J. Boas Berg, Amsterdam, 1898.} from the dealer J. Boas Berg, Amsterdam, fl. 150, to the museum, 1898; on loan to the Museum Kurhaus, Cleves, 2004-09

Art Historical Context

**The Virgin and Saint John Evangelist** by Arnt van Tricht, carved around 1545, stands as a poignant example of 16th-century Netherland sculpture. Fashioned from with traces of original polych—vibrant paints and gilding that once brought the figures to vivid life—this piece measures 103.5 cm in height, suggesting it was designed as a devotional statue, likely part of a larger Calvary group depicting the mourning witnesses at Christ's crucifixion. Oak's durability made it ideal for church interiors in the Low Countries, where such works endured centuries of worship and wear. Van Tricht, active in Antwerp's thriving workshop culture, crafted this duo in the transitional style of the Northern Renaissance, blending late Gothic expressiveness with emerging Mannerist elegance. The Virgin and Saint John embody profound sorrow, their forms inviting contemplation on faith and human grief amid the era's religious upheavals, including the early Reformation stirrings in the Netherlands. Originally from a church near Tiel, the sculpture entered the museum's collection in 1898 via dealer J. Boas Berg and has been loaned to the Museum Kurhaus in Cleves. Its surviving polychromy hints at the sensory richness of Renaissance worship, offering visitors a tangible link to medieval piety.

About the Artist

Arnt van Tricht · 1470–1570

Arnt van Tricht probably came from Utrecht and he was probably a student of Heinrich Douverman. He mainly made religious sculpture; at first he worked primarily in oak but from ca. 1550 he used stone almost exclusively.