Artwork
Coronation of the Virgin with donors
Coronation of the Virgin with donors is an oil painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Master of the Lyversberger Passion. It dates from 1464 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Overview
The work titled *Coronation of the Virgin with Donors* is an oil painting executed in 1464 by the anonymous Master of the Lyversberger Passion. It is part of the collection of the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. The composition is densely populated, centering on the Virgin receiving a golden crown while surrounded by a host of angels, musicians, and two kneeling patrons.
Subject & Meaning
The kneeling figures at the lower edge are probably the patrons who commissioned the piece, positioned to receive the Virgin’s blessing.
The central scene depicts the Virgin Mary being crowned as Queen of Heaven, a motif common in late medieval devotion. A robed figure, likely representing Christ or a heavenly authority, places the crown upon her head, while a donor in red holds an open book, suggesting a prayerful request for intercession. The kneeling figures at the lower edge are probably the patrons who commissioned the piece, positioned to receive the Virgin’s blessing.
Technique & Style
The painter employed a luminous gold ground that unifies the crowded tableau and enhances the sense of divine radiance. Thin, translucent layers of pigment—known as glazing—are built up to model forms and create subtle shifts of light and shadow, giving the figures a soft, almost ethereal glow. The crowded arrangement and elongated figures reflect the International Gothic aesthetic prevalent in mid‑15th‑century Northern Europe.
History & Provenance
Created in 1464, the painting remained in private or ecclesiastical hands before entering the collection of the Alte Pinakothek, where it is displayed today. Its attribution to the Master of the Lyversberger Passion rests on stylistic analysis linking it to other works bearing similar compositional and technical traits, although the artist’s true identity remains unknown.
Artist & collection
Artist
Master of the Lyversberger Passion
This artist painted religious scenes on wood panels in the mid-1400s, using oil paint to layer rich colors and fine details.
The Coronation of the Virgin
The Baptism of Christ
The Throne of Mercy with the Virgin, St. John, and Angels with the Arma Christi
The Coronation of the Virgin with the Trinity
Lactatio of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux with Donors
Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and Saints Francis and Lidwina, with Donors (Anna Selbdritt)
Mary, Queen of Heaven
The Life of Mary: the Assumption of Mary (verso: lower half of the Coronation of Mary)
The Virgin and Child with St Anne, donors and Sts Francis and Lidwina
Enthroned Virgin and Child, with Saints Paul, Peter, Clare of Assisi, Mary Magdalene, Barbara, Catherine of Alexandria, John the Baptist, John the Evangelist, Agnes, Cecilia, Margaret of Antioch, and George
The Life of Mary: the Annunciation (lower half of the Crucifixion of Christ)
The Coronation of the Virgin with the Trinity