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The Life of the Virgin

Adriaen Isenbrant Netherlandish
after 1521
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 636
One of Adriaen Isenbrant’s earliest works, this small, portable triptych was intended for private devotion. Both the exterior and interior scenes were meant to engage the viewer in an empathetic contemplation of the Life of the Virgin. The outside grisaille wings, which depict the Annunciation and Visitation under elaborately carved canopies, are executed in the fashionable Antwerp Mannerist style and reveal a knowledge of Albrecht Dürer’s popular engravings.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Life of the Virgin
  • Artist: Adriaen Isenbrant (Netherlandish, active by 1510–died 1551 Bruges)
  • Date: after 1521
  • Medium: Oil on wood
  • Dimensions: Central panel, overall, with engaged frame, 12 3/8 x 10 1/8 in. (31.4 x 25.7 cm), painted surface 9 1/8 x 6 7/8 in. (23.2 x 17.5 cm); each wing, overall, with engaged frame, 12 3/8 x 5 in. (31.4 x 12.7 cm), painted surface 10 3/4 x 3 1/2 in. (27.3 x 8.9 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Frederick C. Hewitt Fund, 1913
  • Object Number: 13.32a–c
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
Christ Crowned with Thorns (Ecce Homo), and the Mourning Virgin (Mater Dolorosa), Adriaen Isenbrant Netherlandish, Oil on canvas, transferred from wood
Christ Crowned with Thorns (Ecce Homo), and the Mourning Virgin (Mater Dolorosa)
Adriaen Isenbrant
ca. 1530–40
Mary Magdalene at the Foot of the Cross, Master of Rimini, Alabaster, South Netherlandish
Mary Magdalene at the Foot of the Cross
Follower of the Master of Rimini
ca. 1420–30
The Crucifixion with Saints and a Donor, Joos van Cleve and a collaborator Netherlandish, Oil on wood
The Crucifixion with Saints and a Donor
Joos van Cleve
ca. 1520
The Annunciation, Hans Memling Netherlandish, Oil on wood
The Annunciation
Hans Memling
ca. 1465–70
Man Weighing Gold, Adriaen Isenbrant Netherlandish, Oil on wood
Man Weighing Gold
Adriaen Isenbrant
ca. 1515–20

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