Darmstadt Madonna

The Madonna of Burgomaster Meyer, also known as the Darmstadt Madonna, is one of the last religious commissions Hans Holbein the Younger painted in Basel, shortly before his first journey to England. It shows the Virgin and Child beneath a canopy, flanked by the family of the patron, Burgomaster Jakob Meyer zum Hasen: his two wives stand on one side, and on the other are his children, probably already dead. The tall, narrow shape of the panel suggests it was designed for a specific architectural setting, perhaps the private chapel of the donor's house, although there is no evidence it was ever installed there. Infrared and X-ray examination showed that only the Virgin was drawn from a preliminary sketch, while the portraits were adjusted during execution. Later, around 1528, the painter reworked Anna Meyer and her mother to reflect the young woman's changed social status and the fashion of the time. The purpose of the commission remains debated: it is linked to the donor's Catholic faith as the Reformation advanced, and, according to some hypotheses, to a legal case Meyer may have faced.

Painter

Hans Holbein the Younger

Date

1526

Medium

softwood, oil paint

Dimensions

146 × 102 cm

Museum

Würth Collection

Movement

Northern Renaissance

Genre

religious art

Depicts

Virgin of Mercy, Jakob Meyer zum Hasen, Madonna and Child

Share:FacebookWhatsApp