Visitation
end of 15th c.
tempera and gold on wood
86 x 72 cm
Inv. 54.16
This panel showing the meeting of Mary and Elizabeth was once in the village of Csegöld in Szatmár County in East Hungary. It was probably painted in the last years of the 15th century, and its style is close to the works created in Upper Hungary. In the company of a servant, the expectant Virgin visits her relative, Elizabeth, who is also with child. This is a frequently represented scene of the Virgin’s life, following the Annunciation. It is unusual, however, that the unborn babies are painted on the exterior of their mothers’ wombs. The Christ child turns with a blessing gesture towards the little Saint John the Baptist who is kneeling in adoration. There is significant loss in the painted surface in the upper right corner. It was not possible to reconstruct it during restoration, as it is not clear what sort of architectural elements originally appeared in the background.
I.K.
