'The Office of the Dead': a New Interpretation of the Spes Nostra Painting

The painting "Four canons by an open grave" (c. 1500) by the Master of Spes Nostra is filled with traditional and unique religious symbolism. Canons of St. Augustine kneel around an open grave with a half-decomposed corpse, while the saint stands nearby with his symbols of God's love....

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Rijksmuseum bulletin Vol. 61; no. 4; pp. 322 - 337
Main Author UBL, MATTHIAS
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Rijksmuseum Publications Department 01.01.2013
Subjects
Art museums
Books of hours
Funerals
Iconography
Monasteries
Parchment
Prayer
Priests
Psalms
Soul
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Summary:The painting "Four canons by an open grave" (c. 1500) by the Master of Spes Nostra is filled with traditional and unique religious symbolism. Canons of St. Augustine kneel around an open grave with a half-decomposed corpse, while the saint stands nearby with his symbols of God's love. Two conversing women have been interpreted as Elizabeth and Mary, depicting the scene of the angels visitation to tell Mary about Christ's birth. These are just a few of the elements the painter included in the painting.
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ISSN:1877-8127
2772-6126
DOI:10.52476/trb.9868