Artwork
The Visitation with a portrait of donor Johann von Hirtz (?-?)
The Visitation with a portrait of donor Johann von Hirtz (?-?) is an oil painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Master of the Life of the Virgin. It dates from 1462 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1462, this oil painting by the anonymous Master of the Life of the Virgin is titled The Visitation with a portrait of donor Johann von Hirtz. It is part of the collection of the Alte Pinakothek in Munich and combines a biblical episode with a donor portrait integrated into the composition.
Subject & Meaning
The central narrative is the Visitation, the meeting of the Virgin Mary and her cousin Elizabeth, traditionally shown as a moment of shared joy and prophecy. In this rendition, the two women are distinguished by their garments—Mary in a dark blue dress, Elizabeth in red—while a third female figure in black leans on a staff, adding a devotional presence to the scene.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on panel, the work displays the delicate handling of color typical of mid‑15th‑century German painting. The figures are rendered with a restrained realism, and the background features a modest town, a hill‑top church, and stylised angels with blue wings, all contributing to a layered spatial depth.
History & Provenance
The painting bears a kneeling donor on the left, identifiable by a shield emblazoned with a deer’s head, a heraldic device linked to Johann von Hirtz, the patron who likely commissioned the work. The artwork entered the Alte Pinakothek’s holdings in the 19th century, where it remains on display.
Context
The Visitation was a popular subject in late medieval devotional art, serving to emphasize themes of humility and divine promise. By incorporating the donor’s likeness, the painting reflects the contemporary practice of linking personal piety with biblical narrative, a hallmark of the period’s religious commissions.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Master of the Life of the Virgin
This anonymous painter worked in the 1470s, specializing in small devotional panels that tell the story of Mary’s life.
The Life of Mary: Joachim meets Anna at the Golden Gate; in the background the Annunciation of the birth of Mary to Joachim by an angel (verso: upper half of the Crucifixion of Christ)
Maria mit dem Kind
The Life of Mary: the Assumption of Mary (verso: lower half of the Coronation of Mary)
The Engagement of Mary (verso: upper half of the Coronation of Mary)
The Life of Mary: the Annunciation (lower half of the Crucifixion of Christ)
Portrait of an unknown master builder
The life of Mary: the presentation of Mary in the temple
Virgin and Child with Three Saints
The Visitation
The visitation
The Visitation
Triptych with Scenes from the Life of the Virgin
Nativity
Heimsuchung Mariae zwischen St. Ursula mit den Zehntausend Jungfrauen und St. Martha. Aussenseiten der Flügel: Verkündigung Mariae
The Marriage of the Virgin, with the Expulsion of Saint Joachim from the Temple, the Angel Appearing to Saint Joachim, the Meeting at the Golden Gate, the Birth of the Virgin, and the Presentation of the Virgin
Zurückweisung des Opfers Joachims und Annas
Baptism of Dymphna, with the Death of Dymphna’s Mother Represented in the Background