A Canon Table with a Lamentation (formerly known as the "Traveling Altar")
Deutsche Grafik 1490–1498, c. 1490
- Artist
- Deutsche Grafik 1490–1498
- Date
- c. 1490
- Type
- Medium
- woodcut printed on parchment in black with hand coloring; set between two panels of printed text to form a triptych; housed in a slipcase with an embroidered crucifixion scene on the front and backed in leather; in turn housed in a velvet, silk, and linen box, strengthened with layers of paper from an account book, with ornamental tassels at each corner
- Dimensions
- 12.7 × 12.8 cm
- Collection
- National Gallery of Art, Washington
- Licence
- Public domain, CC0
Image description
The artwork is a horizontally oriented illuminated manuscript page featuring a central illustrated panel surrounded by text on either side. The illustration depicts a scene with three haloed figures positioned around a central figure draped in a blue cloak, holding the lifeless body of another figure with visible wounds. The figures are positioned beneath a crucifix, with the central figure seated and cloaked in blue, flanked by figures in golden and green garments. The scene is enclosed within a rectangular frame. The text, written in a Gothic script with red and blue initials, occupies the left and right sections of the page, providing an ornate and structured backdrop to the central illustration.