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Spectators from a Passion Altarpiece
Apparently reacting to an event they have just witnessed, two priests engage in a heated conversation on the left, while on the right an ordinary citizen leans on his staff. They would have been some of the spectators at the foot of a Crucifixion, and their animation and typical 15th-century clothing would have added a sense of immediacy to the altar's central narrative.
The Brussels altarpiece ( ) shows how such groups of figures were combined. The vigorous, angular body language of the spectators is characteristic of stylistic trends in Antwerp as opposed to the greater restraint more typical of workshops in Brussels.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 7/28/1981 | Loan Consideration | examined for loan |
Geographies
Belgium, Antwerp (Place of Origin)
Measurements
16 5/16 x 13 x 2 3/8 in. (41.5 x 33 x 6 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters
Location in Museum
Centre Street: Third Floor: 15th-Century Art of Northern Europe
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
61.61