The Life of the Virgin

Adriaen Isenbrant

after 1521 · Oil on wood · European Paintings

One of Adriaen Isenbrant’s earliest works, this small, portable triptych was intended for private devotion. Both the exterior and interior scenes were meant to engage the viewer in an empathetic contemplation of the Life of the Virgin. The outside grisaille wings, which depict the Annunciation and Visitation under elaborately carved canopies, are executed in the fashionable Antwerp Mannerist style and reveal a knowledge of Albrecht Dürer’s popular engravings.

Artist: Adriaen Isenbrant
Date: after 1521
Medium: Oil on wood
Department: European Paintings
Credit line: Frederick C. Hewitt Fund, 1913

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