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Martyrdom of the Seven Maccabee Brothers and Their Mother

Designed and executed by Dirck Vellert Netherlandish
ca. 1530–35
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 520
The Old Testament tells the horrific story of King Antiochus IV Epiphanes murdering a Jewish family for their refusal to eat pork, a narrative of religious persecution that would have resonated with many groups in sixteenth-century Northern Europe. In his rendering, celebrated Antwerp artist Vellert relegated the gruesome subject matter to the background while showcasing his mastery of figural narrative and technical dexterity in stained glass. Vellert’s windows were once found in the cities Mechelen, Lübeck, and Antwerp, but most documented examples have been destroyed.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Martyrdom of the Seven Maccabee Brothers and Their Mother
  • Artist: Designed and executed by Dirck Vellert (Netherlandish, Amsterdam (?) ca. 1480/85–ca. 1547)
  • Date: ca. 1530–35
  • Culture: Flemish, Antwerp
  • Medium: Stained glass
  • Dimensions: Overall: 27 3/4 × 18 1/2 in. (70.5 × 47 cm);
    Framed (confirmed): 28 1/2 × 19 5/16 × 5/8 in. (72.4 × 49.1 × 1.6 cm)
  • Classification: Glass-Stained
  • Credit Line: Mr. and Mrs. Isaac D. Fletcher Collection, Bequest of Isaac D. Fletcher, 1917
  • Object Number: 17.120.12
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

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The Smith, Dirck Vellert Netherlandish, Etching
The Smith
Dirck Vellert
1520–25
Man with a Fish, Dirck Vellert Netherlandish, Engraving
Man with a Fish
Dirck Vellert
August 16, 1522
Christ Preaching in the Synagogue, with the Pharisees Bringing the Woman Taken in Adultery, Dirck Vellert Netherlandish, Pen and brown ink, brush and gray ink; framing line in pen and brown ink, by the artist
Christ Preaching in the Synagogue, with the Pharisees Bringing the Woman Taken in Adultery
Dirck Vellert
Anonymous, Netherlandish, 16th century
1523 (?)
The Temptation of Christ
Dirck Vellert
1525
St. Bernard Adoring the Christ Child, Dirck Vellert Netherlandish, Engraving
St. Bernard Adoring the Christ Child
Dirck Vellert
October 5, 1524

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