Artwork
Wing of Lazarus tritptych with donor and Saint Catharine
Wing of Lazarus tritptych with donor and Saint Catharine is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Aertgen van Leyden. It dates from 1530 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Overview
Aertgen van Leyden, a Dutch painter active in Leiden during the early sixteenth century, executed the right-hand wing of a triptych known as the *Lazarus* series around 1530. The panel, rendered in oil on wood, is now part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection in Amsterdam and illustrates a devotional scene featuring Saint Catherine of Alexandria and a female patron.
Subject & Meaning
The composition presents two women standing together in a tranquil landscape. The figure on the right, dressed in a black gown trimmed with gold, wears red sleeves and a sword at her belt, attributes traditionally associated with Saint Catherine. Beside her, a donor clad in a black robe with a white collar holds a rosary and cross, indicating her pious role in commissioning the work.
Technique & Style
Executed in the Mannerist idiom prevalent in the Low Countries, the painting displays elongated forms and a refined handling of oil paint. Van Leyden’s attention to texture—visible in the luxurious fabrics and the delicate rendering of foliage—creates a subtle contrast between the figures and the distant, softly lit background.
History & Provenance
Created for a private devotional setting, the panel later entered the Rijksmuseum’s holdings, where it is displayed as part of the museum’s early Netherlandish collection. Its survival as a single wing of the original triptych offers insight into the patronage practices of mid‑sixteenth‑century Leiden.
Artist & collection
Artist
Aertgen Claesz. van Leyden (c. 1498 – c. 1564), also known as Allaert or Aert van Leyden or Aert Claesz. van Leyden, was a 16th-Century Dutch painter, draughtsman and designer of stained glass. Works by this artist can…
