Van Meckenem, Israhel, The Death of the Virgin

This dramatic scene, intricately conveyed through the use of delicate, detailed lines, depicts the moment of the Virgin's death. A throng of people surround the Virgin as she holds a flickering candle. They kneel in prayer and lean towards Mary, intent on taking in her last few moments on earth. The figure in the lower right reads from a book, perhaps speaking a prayer that the others follow. Drapery abounds throughout the composition in stiff, deep folds, surrounding the Virgin and nearly hiding her tiny form. She rests in the center of the composition as the main subject of this scene and appears unafraid and at peace as she prepares to ascend to heaven.

This original engraving is monogrammed in the plate 'Israel V.M.' in the lower center. Printed on a fine laid paper with the Fleur-De-Lis with a Crown Above watermark, dating this piece to 1497 (Likhachev no. 1266, plate 136). A lifetime impression.

Documented and Illustrated in:
1. Bartsch. The Illustrated Bartsch Volume 9: Early German Artists. Edited by Walter L. Strauss. New York: Abaris, 1981. Documented and illustrated as catalogue no. 50 (223) on pg. 59.
2. Simmons, J.S.G. and Bé van Ginneken-Van de Kasteele. Likhachev's Watermarks Volumes I and II. Amsterdam: The Paper Publications Society, 1994. Watermark listed and discussed as catalogue no. 1266, plate 136.

About the Framing:
Museum grade conservation framed in a complementary moulding with silk mats and optical grade Plexiglas.