1. Hungarian Late Gothic Painting and Sculpture (15-16th c.)

The two paintings originally decorated the inner sides of the wings of the winged altarpiece of the Holy Blood chapel which was consecrated in 1489 in the Benedictine Abbey of Garamszentbenedek (present-day Hronský Beňadik, Slovakia). Tradition says that the relic of the Precious Blood was donated to the monastery by King Matthias. The altarpiece was finished in the year of the death of Abbot John III (1476-1510), who is shown here as the donor kneeling in front of the Man of Sorrows. It was probably the Abbot himself, a frequent visitor of the royal court, who drew up the decorative program of the altarpiece, which is only partially known to us today. The four scenes that were originally seen on the outer side of the wings show events from the Passion (not exhibited). The key figure of the story of Redemption is the suffering Saviour, whose monumental figure in this depiction connects Heaven and Earth. The representation of the Vir Dolorum encourages the viewer to feel compassion for, and solidarity with, the Saviour’s sufferings, who is also shown here as an intercessor. In the background, the building of the Abbey appears over a curve in the river Garam.