Artwork
Die Erweckung des Jünglings von Nain
Die Erweckung des Jünglings von Nain is an unspecified painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Master of the Darmstadt Passion. It dates from 1455 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Overview
Die Erweckung des Jünglings von Nain is a mid‑15th‑century religious panel painted in 1455. Attributed to the anonymous Master of the Darmstadt Passion, the work is part of the collection of Munich’s Alte Pinakothek. The composition depicts a group of figures surrounding a wooden stretcher on which a naked youth lies, his head encircled by a halo.
Subject & Meaning
The halo identifies the youth as a holy figure, suggesting a narrative of miraculous healing or resurrection. A robed attendant in brown reaches toward the youth’s hand, while onlookers in hoods and simple garments observe the event, emphasizing the communal witness to a divine intervention.
Technique & Style
The painter employs a stark chiaroscuro, using a dark, undefined background to isolate the figures and heighten their three‑dimensional presence. The contrast of light on the central stretcher against the surrounding gloom reflects a typical late‑Gothic approach to dramatizing sacred scenes.
History & Provenance
Created in 1455, the panel entered the Alte Pinakothek’s holdings at an unspecified date, where it remains on display. Its attribution to the Master of the Darmstadt Passion links it to a body of work known for similar compositional strategies and devotional themes.
Context
The work belongs to a period when Northern European artists increasingly explored narrative clarity and emotional intensity in religious imagery. The inclusion of a castle in the distance situates the miracle within a recognizable, contemporary landscape, a common device for grounding biblical events in the viewer’s world.
Artist & collection
Artist
Master of the Darmstadt Passion
This anonymous German painter around 1460 made altarpieces full of bright reds and blues, stiff figures, and tiny gold highlights.
Left Wing of a cross altar, The Adoration of the Magi, Madonna and Child
Darmstadt Altarpiece: The Epiphany
Darmstadt Altarpiece: Constantine and His Mother Helena Venerating the True Cross
Darmstadt Altarpiece: Virgin and Child Enthroned
The veneration and dedication of the Holy Cross to the church by Emperor Constantine and his mother Helena
Darmstadt Altarpiece: The Throne of Grace
Der Heilige Onophrius
Die Heiligen Sebastian und Fabian
