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Pietà

Simon Bening Netherlandish
probably 1522–23
Not on view
Simon Bening was one of the most famous illuminators of the sixteenth century. This leaf, which is in an excellent state of preservation, was part of an opulent, two-volume book of hours made for Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg (1490–1545). Archbishop and elector of Mainz, Albrecht was an ambitious patron of the arts. In addition to two other manuscripts by Bening, Albrecht also commissioned works from Dürer, Grünewald, and Cranach. This Pietà, with its border scenes of Noli me tangere and the Holy Women at the Sepulcher, would have introduced the Hours of the Compassion of the Virgin in the first volume of Albrecht’s manuscript. Executed in the early 1520s, the Hours of Albrecht of Brandenburg date from the most productive decade of Bening’s long career.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Pietà
  • Artist: Simon Bening (Netherlandish, Ghent (?) 1483/84–1561 Bruges) , with borders by an assistant
  • Date: probably 1522–23
  • Medium: Tempera and gold leaf on parchment
  • Dimensions: 7 3/8 x 5 1/4 in. (18.8 x 13.3cm)
  • Classification: Manuscripts and Illuminations
  • Credit Line: Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
  • Object Number: 1975.1.2481
  • Curatorial Department: The Robert Lehman Collection

More Artwork

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Self-portrait, Simon Bening Netherlandish, Tempera and gold leaf on parchment
Self-portrait
Simon Bening
1558
Manuscript Leaf with Adoration of the Holy Name, from a Book of Hours, Simon Bening Netherlandish, Tempera, ink and shell gold on parchment, Netherlandish
Manuscript Leaf with Adoration of the Holy Name, from a Book of Hours
Simon Bening
after 1530 (?)
Book of Hours, Simon Bening Netherlandish, Tempera, gold, and ink on parchment; modern red leather binding, Netherlandish
Book of Hours
Simon Bening
ca. 1530–35
The Annunciation, Hans Memling Netherlandish, Oil on panel, transferred to canvas
The Annunciation
Hans Memling
1480–89
Margaret of Austria, Jean Hey (called Master of Moulins) Netherlandish, Oil on oak panel
Margaret of Austria
Jean Hey (called Master of Moulins)
ca. 1490

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