Lot 1010 Dα

This work depicts the Virgin Mary on Her deathbed. She lies beneath a large canopy surrounded by the Apostles, who have left their missions to bid farewell to the dying Virgin. Saint John on her right hands her Communion and a candle, whilst Peter sprinkles her body with holy water on the left. The other Apostles are shown reading, praying, or mourning in standing, kneeling, and sitting poses.

The depiction follows Albrecht Dürer's famous engraving of 1510, but includes several minor differences. For example, in the present work the figures occupy a larger portion of the composition. The canopy reaches far up towards the upper border of the work and the Apostles shown from the back are placed far towards the sides, thus bringing the scene closer to the beholder.

Melchior Feselen is thought to have been born in around 1495 and died in Ingolstadt in 1536. He was taught by Hans Schäufelin and worked as a painter throughout southern Germany. When the present work is compared to securely attributed works by Felten, one immediately notices similarities in the facial features, for example in the Adoration of the Magi in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg or the Crucifixion in the Liebfrauenmünster in Ingolstadt.