The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 20, 2024

Altarpiece with The Passion of Christ

Altarpiece with The Passion of Christ

c. 1440s
(German)
Germany, 15th century
oil and gold on wood
Framed: 88.9 x 157.5 x 8.3 cm (35 x 62 x 3 1/4 in.); Unframed: 74.3 x 69.8 cm (29 1/4 x 27 1/2 in.); Part 1: 84.9 x 81.4 x 8.3 cm (33 7/16 x 32 1/16 x 3 1/4 in.); Part 2: 84.6 x 152.2 x 8.3 cm (33 5/16 x 59 15/16 x 3 1/4 in.); Part 3: 84.6 x 78.7 x 8.3 cm (33 5/16 x 31 x 3 1/4 in.); Panel: 36.2 x 35 cm (14 1/4 x 13 3/4 in.)
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 1951.453.a
Location: 111 German and Austrian Gothic

Description

The visual focus of this altarpiece is the suffering and death of Christ on the cross. So-called Passion cycles in art include the events leading up to and following the Crucifixion, not only as single subjects but as scenes meant to be read in sequence. Passion cycles were promoted by the two great teaching orders, the Franciscans and the Dominicans, for whom this subject represented the main religious drama of their churches, and also by the German mystics who advocated private contemplation on the humanity and suffering of Christ. The original context for this altarpiece remains unknown, but it was probably made for a religious institution in Westphalia in the Rhine Valley. During the 1870s it was given to the Abbey of Schlägl, near Linz in Upper Austria, from which both altarpiece and artist take their names. The altarpiece is not preserved today in its original format, and some of the individual scenes are missing. Scholars continue to debate the original number of scenes and their sequencing; nine of the original panels have survived.
  • Schlägl abbey, Austria (given in the 1870s, sold 1936); (Rosenberg & Stiebel).
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 455 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 67 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 67 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 75 archive.org
  • Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. National Museum of Bavaria, Munich, Germany (May 10-September 16, 2007); J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA (October 30, 2007-January 20, 2008); Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN (February 13-June 7, 2009).
    Bavarian Nationalmuseum, Munich (5/10/2007 - 9/16/2007), the J. Paul Getty Musuem, Los Angeles (10/30/2007 - 1/20/2008) and Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, TN (2/13/2009 - 6/7/2009): "Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art"
    Conserving the Past for the Future. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 4-May 6, 2001).
    Cleveland, Ohio: The Cleveland Museum of Art; March 4-May 6, 2001. "Conserving the Past for the Future." ("Agony in the Garden" and "Mocking of Christ" panels only).
  • {{cite web|title=Altarpiece with The Passion of Christ|url=false|author=Master of the Schlägl Altarpiece|year=c. 1440s|access-date=20 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1951.453.a