MASTERPIECE

The Death of the Virgin was extensively restored and researched between 2018 and 2022. Yellow varnished layers and discoloured overpaintings were removed during the restoration. Removing the old overpaintings yielded interesting information. For instance, remnants of a curtain were revealed in the upper left and lower right and were partially reconstructed. Perhaps the whole scene was originally surrounded by a curtain canopy. We cannot know for certain, because the work was once cropped, possibly to fit into a new frame. A few centimetres have been lost on the left- and top edges as a result. The curtain creates the illusion that Mary’s death bed is being revealed to the viewer, inviting us, as it were, to also step onto the wooden floor and take a seat by the bed. This connects with the personal experience of faith that became increasingly important from the fourteenth century onwards, in which empathy and compassion for Christ and Mary played an major role.