After Hugo van der Goes, 'The Death of the Virgin', probably after 1500

The Death of the Virgin

After Hugo van der Goes

Not on display

About the work

Overview

This small painting shows Christ coming down from heaven to receive the soul of his mother, who lies close to death. He floats above her accompanied by angels, two of whom hold a white cloth in which to carry the Virgin’s soul to heaven.

The grieving apostles are administering the last rites to the Virgin. Saint John places a long, lit candle into her hands. Attached to it is a small disc with a cross: the Host (consecrated bread) which was offered to the dying. A saint who is probably Peter, dressed in white as a priest, prepares to scatter holy water over her.

Technical analysis shows a different plan: a large curtained bed instead of the view of the town. This earlier version seems to be based on a design Hugo van der Goes made when planning his famous Death of the Virgin (Groeningemuseum, Bruges).

In-depth

This small painting shows the moment that Christ comes down from heaven to receive the soul of his mother. The Virgin Mary lies close to death, surrounded by the grieving apostles. Christ floats above her, ringed by golden light and accompanied by angels; two hold a white cloth in which to carry her soul to heaven. One also has a white lily, a symbol of the Virgin’s purity.

Although it shows an event from the biblical era, this is very much a medieval death scene. It takes place in what resembles a wealthy, almost palatial, late-medieval house. The Virgin lies on a large bed with red bedclothes, the floor is tiled and a table to the left holds various domestic items. A lighted lamp hangs from the ceiling; the rope with which to haul it up and down is tied to a hook. Through a mullioned window at the back we see a town square with people chatting and walking about, oblivious to the miraculous events taking place inside.

The Virgin is receiving the last rites from the apostles. Each is an individual figure who shows grief in his own way. Behind the bed, a blond, beardless man – almost certainly Saint John – leans over the dying Virgin, weeping. He places a taper – the long, lighted candle – into her hands. Attached to it is a small disc with a cross: the Host (the consecrated bread used in the Eucharist) which was offered to the dying. In front of the bed at the far right, a man in red, possibly Saint Paul, holds a rosary and squats on the floor, absorbed in his own grief. A bearded and balding saint, apparently Saint Peter, stands by the bed, with tears on his cheeks. He is dressed as a priest and prepares to scatter holy water over the Virgin by dipping an aspergillum (sprinkler) into the situla (bucket) held by his companion. Another apostle, small glasses perched on his nose, consults a book, prayer beads protruding from a slit in his robe. At the end of the bed, two hold a censer between them, one blowing on it to keep the incense alight. We can see a similar concern for the rituals of dying in The Dormition of the Virgin.

Technical analysis shows us that there was once a large curtained bed instead of the view of the town, the window was in a different place and the floor was wood. This earlier version seems to be based on a preliminary design van der Goes made when planning his famous Death of the Virgin (Groeningemuseum, Bruges). At a late stage, however, our artist painted over the original bed and introduced the apparition of Christ, and the illusion of perspective given by the tiled floor and the window. The painting’s appearance has also changed over time. The Virgin’s robe was once blue but has darkened. The panel itself has also been cut down around the sides. It once had an arched top; the unpainted edges at the bottom and the four top corners show the original size and shape.

Although we don't know the identity of the artist, his style, especially the varied and detailed faces and his interest in storytelling, suggests he was working on the border between the Low Countries and Germany in the early sixteenth century. The painting may have been made in or near the Duchy of Cleves.

Key facts

Details

Full title: The Death of the Virgin
Artist: After Hugo van der Goes
Artist dates: active 1467; died 1482
Date made: probably after 1500
Medium and support: oil on wood
Dimensions: 38.7 × 35.6 cm
Acquisition credit: Bought, 1860
Inventory number: NG658
Location: Not on display
Collection: Main Collection
Previous owners: Charles I, King of Great Britain

Provenance

Labels formerly on the reverse indicate that NG 658 was once in the possession of someone with Russian connections and afterwards an unidentified ‘Comte R.’. It later belonged to Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769–1830), whose pictures were sold at Christie’s on 15 May 1830. The Death was lot 123 and was bought by Michael Mucklow Zachary (1773–1837); it was lot 21 in the sale of his pictures at Christie’s on 31 March 1838 and was bought by Fuller. It then passed to the dealer Chrétien-Jean Nieuwenhuys (1799–1883), who on 23 April 1842 sold it to Willem II (1792–1849), King of the Netherlands. When his pictures were auctioned at The Hague on 12 August 1850 and the days following, the Death was lot 52, failed to make its reserve but was in any case sold to Nieuwenhuys. By 1857 it was in the collection of Edmond Beaucousin (1806–66) in Paris and it was purchased with the rest of the Beaucousin collection in 1860.

Additional information

Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Lorne Campbell, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Fifteenth Century Netherlandish Schools’, London 1998; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.

Exhibition history

2010

Close Examination: Fakes, Mistakes and Discoveries

The National Gallery (London)

30 June 2010 - 12 September 2010
2016

Painters' Paintings: From Freud to Van Dyck

The National Gallery (London)

23 June 2016 - 4 September 2016
2022

Face to face with Death. Hugo van der Goes, old masters and new interpretations

Sint-Janshospitaal

28 October 2022 - 5 February 2023
2023

Hugo van der Goes: Between Pain and Bliss

Gemäldegalerie (Berlin)

31 March 2023 - 16 July 2023

Bibliography

1945

Davies, Martin, National Gallery Catalogues: Early Netherlandish School, London 1945
1953

M. Davies, The National Gallery, London, Les Primitifs flamands. I, Corpus de la peinture des anciens Pay-Bas méridionaux au quinzième siècle 3, 2 vols, Antwerp 1953
1955

Davies, Martin, National Gallery Catalogues: Early Netherlandish School, 2nd edn (revised), London 1955
1967

M.J. Friedländer, Early Netherlandish Painting, eds N. Veronée-Verhaegen and H. Pauwels, trans. H. Norden, 14 vols, Leiden 1967
1983

J. Dunkerton, '"The Death of the Virgin": A Technical Approach to an Art-Historical Problem', National Gallery Technical Bulletin, VII, 1983, pp. 20-9
1987

Davies, Martin, National Gallery Catalogues: The Early Netherlandish School, 3rd edn, London 1987
1998

Campbell, Lorne, National Gallery Catalogues: The Fifteenth Century Netherlandish Paintings, London 1998
2001

C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

Images

Related works

Virgin and Child

Follower of Hugo van der Goes

This triptych (a picture in three parts) is made up of three different paintings: the middle panel with its original engaged frame has been inserted into an outer frame, and the two side panels added to it.The central panel shows the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child, and its quality suggests...

Not on display

The Nativity, at Night

After Hugo van der Goes

The shining Christ Child lies on the ground surrounded by angels, while the Virgin Mary kneels to worship him and Saint Joseph stands holding a candle. Behind Joseph are two women in exotic jewelled turbans – the midwives who attended the birth. Angels hover in the air above.Although this picture...

Not on display

After Hugo van der Goes, 'The Death of the Virgin', probably after 1500

About the work

Overview

In-depth

Key facts

Details

Provenance

Additional information

Source

Exhibition history

Bibliography

About this record

Images

Related works