Lot 2004 Dα

A cog at anchor in the harbour of Cologne forms the centre of the image. Saint Ursula stands tall among the figures populating the ship, in accordance with her importance to the story. She is not depicted with a halo, but wears a crown reminiscent of a hennin over her hair, which helps to differentiate her from those around her. She has also been shot through the neck by an arrow. The work depicts the hun attack in which, according to legend, Saint Ursula found her gruesome martyrdom along with eleven thousand other defenceless virgins killed by arrows
Whilst the inhabitants of the boat appear to resign themselves to their horrific fate with stoic tranquility, the entire lower section of the image is occupied by the wild butchery of the barbarians. They are depicted with unusually colourful attire and thin bodies. In dramatically stilted poses they demonstrate how one enters a ship with a pointed grapple, swings a sword, or loads a crossbow.
These realistic and unapologetically dramatic elements exemplify the new stylistic tendencies in the art of the Upper Rhine region in the mid-15th century. Here they are combined with the lyrical atmosphere and soft female faces of earlier centuries to create an unmistakable mixture. This depiction of the martyrdom of Saint Ursula and her companions is one of the rare works from this transitional phase before it was entirely superseded by the influential works of Martin Schongauer.
We would like to thank Dr. Anna Moraht-Fromm, Berlin for this catalogue entry from her expertise on the painting.