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The Fifteen Mysteries and the Virgin of the Rosary

ca. 1515–20
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 601

In the later Middle Ages, Christian worshippers began to use strings of beads, known as rosaries, to help them count off prayers in a set number and sequence. While praying, they meditated upon a series of events in the lives of Christ and the Virgin Mary known as the "fifteen mysteries." This altarpiece depicts the mysteries as separate scenes, arrayed like rosary beads across the top three registers of the altarpiece. The larger image at the bottom shows the Virgin and Christ Child adorned with a garland of red and white roses in the form of an enormous rosary. The background landscape portrays the Coudenberg Palace in Brussels, suggesting that the picture was commissioned by a member of the Habsburg court.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Fifteen Mysteries and the Virgin of the Rosary
  • Artist: Netherlandish (Brussels) Painter
  • Date: ca. 1515–20
  • Medium: Oil on wood
  • Dimensions: (a) 9 7/8 x 21 in. (25.1 x 53.3 cm); (b–p) each 5 x 4 1/8 in. (12.7 x 10.5 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Anonymous Bequest, 1984
  • Object Number: 1987.290.3a–p
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

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The Adoration of the Magi, Quinten Massys Netherlandish, Oil on wood
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Quinten Massys
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Madonna and Child, Giovanni Bellini Italian, Oil on wood
Madonna and Child
Giovanni Bellini
late 1480s
The Annunciation, Hans Memling Netherlandish, Oil on wood
The Annunciation
Hans Memling
ca. 1465–70
Portrait of a Woman, Quinten Massys Netherlandish, Oil on wood
Portrait of a Woman
Quinten Massys
ca. 1520
Guillaume Budé (1467–1540), Jean Clouet French, Oil on wood
Guillaume Budé (1467–1540)
Jean Clouet
ca. 1536

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