The Virgin Crowned by Angels

c. 1450

Stefan Lochner

(German, 1400-c. 1452)

Culture

Germany, Cologne

Medium

oil on wood

Measurements

Framed: 68.5 x 47.5 x 7.5 cm (26 15/16 x 18 11/16 x 2 15/16 in.); Unframed: 50.5 x 29.2 cm (19 7/8 x 11 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

John L. Severance Fund 1968.20

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Location

111 German and Austrian Gothic

Did You Know?

Although they are barely visible, two angels are holding the crown above the figure of Mary.

Description

Two angels, barely visible against a dark background, crown Mary as the Queen of Heaven. Her slight features are made more substantial by her elaborately draped, brilliant crimson mantle. Holding the Christ child, she stands on a floor scattered with red and white roses, symbols of her purity. Green palmettes enriched with costly gold thread decorate the velvet. Since silk velvet was not woven in the north, Italian velvets were frequently depicted in northern paintings during the 1400s. Lochner is thought to have come from Meersburg in southwest Germany, and is recorded as being in Cologne by 1442, where he was paid for decorations in connection with the celebration of the visit of Emperor Frederick III. He was elected town councillor by the painters’ guild in 1447 and 1450. There are no records of him after 1451.