The Resurrection and the Three Maries at the Tomb

anonymous, c. 1440

The woodcarver here combined in one scene two separate episodes from the Passion of Christ: his resurrection from the tomb, and the three women – Mary Magdalene, Mary the Mother of Jesus and Mary Salome – who went to the tomb (shown at centre) to embalm his body. A Roman soldier is asleep in front of the tomb.

  • Artwork typealtaarkast
  • Object numberBK-1964-2-C
  • Dimensionsheight 97.8 cm x width 58.9 cm x depth 22.3 cm
  • Physical characteristicsoak with polychromy

Identification

  • Title(s)

    • The Resurrection and the Three Maries at the Tomb
    • Altar caisse

  • Object type

  • Object number

    BK-1964-2-C

  • Description

    Bak bestaande uit kapelachtige nis en een laag onderstuk met opengewerkt fries. Nis aan voorkant begrensd met twee zuilen met kapiteel waarop pinakels die accoladeboog met daarboven lage venstertracering insluiten. Achterwand met gotische vensters gescheiden door zuiltjes met kapitelen waarop ribgewelf.

  • Inscriptions / marks

    number, on the inside, on the bottom, scratched: ‘XII’

  • Part of catalogue

Creation

  • Creation

    sculptor: anonymous, Southern Netherlands

  • Dating

    c. 1440

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Material and technique

  • Physical description

    oak with polychromy

  • Dimensions

    height 97.8 cm x width 58.9 cm x depth 22.3 cm

Acquisition and rights

  • Acquisition

    purchase 1964

  • Copyright

    Public domain

  • Provenance

    …; anonymous sale, Munich (Weinmüller), 7 December 1961, no. 828, fig. 50, with BK-1964-2-C to -E, to the dealers Graf und Gräfin Pourtalès, Prien am Chiemsee (Bavaria);{Note RMA.} from whom purchased by the dealer P. Drey, New York, 1962;{Note RMA.} from whom, with BK-1964-2-A to -E, $ 14,400 for all, to the museum, 1964

Documentation

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  • The Resurrection and the Three Maries at the Tomb
  • The Resurrection and the Three Maries at the Tomb
  • The Resurrection and the Three Maries at the Tomb

anonymous

Altar Caisse

Southern Netherlands, c. 1440

Inscriptions

  • number, on the inside, on the bottom, scratched:XII

Technical notes

Carved, sawn and polychromed. The back of the caisse is constructed from three oak planks approximately 1.3 cm thick. The sides are joined to the top and bottom with dovetail joints.

Conservation

  • W.J. Mares, 1971: dirty layers and overpainting removed; flaking paint secured with beeswax; old nailed joints replaced with wooden dowelling joints; the tracery in the bottom of the caisse replaced correctly.

Provenance

…; anonymous sale, Munich (Weinmüller), 7 December 1961, no. 828, fig. 50, with BK-1964-2-C to -E, to the dealers Graf und Gräfin Pourtalès, Prien am Chiemsee (Bavaria);1Note RMA. from whom purchased by the dealer P. Drey, New York, 1962;2Note RMA. from whom, with BK-1964-2-A to -E, $ 14,400 for all, to the museum, 1964

Object number: BK-1964-2-C

Entry

See the entry on BK-1962-33.

Literature

J. Leeuwenberg with the assistance of W. Halsema-Kubes, Beeldhouwkunst in het Rijksmuseum, coll. cat. Amsterdam 1973, no. 8, with earlier literature; P. van Boheemen and P. Dirkse (eds.), Duivels en demonen. De duivel in de Nederlandse beeldcultuur, exh. cat. Utrecht (Museum Catharijneconvent) 1994, no. 42, pp. 60-62 and fig. 51; K.W. Woods, ‘Questions d’attribution stylistique. Retables inédits en Angleterre’, in S. Guillot de Suduiraut et al., Retables brabançons des XVe et XVIe siècles: Actes du colloque organisé par le musée du Louvre les 18 et 19 mai 2001, Paris 2002, pp. 345-76, esp. p. 355; S. Marti et al. (eds.), Karl der Kühne (1433-1477): Kunst, Krieg und Hofkultur, exh. cat. Bern (Bern Historical Museum)/Bruges (Groeningemuseum) 2008, p. 205

Citation

F. Scholten, 2024, 'anonymous, Altar Caisse, Southern Netherlands, c. 1440', in F. Scholten and B. van der Mark (eds.), European Sculpture in the Rijksmuseum, online coll. cat. Amsterdam: https://data.rijksmuseum.nl/200115772

(accessed 1 February 2026 04:08:55).

Footnotes

  • 1Note RMA.
  • 2Note RMA.