Altarpiece with 45 Scenes of the Apocalypse thumbnail 1
Altarpiece with 45 Scenes of the Apocalypse thumbnail 2
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On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Altarpiece with 45 Scenes of the Apocalypse

Altarpiece
ca. 1400 (painted)
Artist/Maker
Master Bertram (maker)
Place of origin
Hamburg (painted)

Master Bertram von Minden worked in Hamburg, painting in various churches towards the end of the 14th century. Altarpieces with scenes from the last book of the Bible, the Revelation of St John the Divine (the Apocalypse) are rare. This panel, one of 45, illustrates the beginning of chapter eight. In St John's vision, at the moment of the opening of the seventh seal, the angels stand prepared: 'And I saw the seven angels which stood before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.'

Object details

Categories
Christianity
Paintings
Object type
Altarpiece
TitleAltarpiece with 45 Scenes of the Apocalypse
Materials and techniques
tempera and gilt on panel transferred to canvas
Tempera
Gilt
Panel
Canvas
Painting
Brief description
Altarpiece with 45 scenes of the Apocalypse
Physical description
Tempera painting
Dimensions
  • Centre piece with frame height: 123.4cm
  • Centre piece with frame width: 167.6cm
  • Wings with frame height: 137cm
  • Wings with frame width: 83cm
  • Central piece with frame depth: 6.8cm
Measured for the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries
Style
German (Hamburg) School
Object history
Bought by the Museum in 1859 for £50.
Subjects depicted
The Day of Judgement
Apocalypse
Literary referenceThe Revelation of Saint John the Divine VIII.1-6
Summary
Master Bertram von Minden worked in Hamburg, painting in various churches towards the end of the 14th century. Altarpieces with scenes from the last book of the Bible, the Revelation of St John the Divine (the Apocalypse) are rare. This panel, one of 45, illustrates the beginning of chapter eight. In St John's vision, at the moment of the opening of the seventh seal, the angels stand prepared: 'And I saw the seven angels which stood before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.'
Bibliographic references
  • Max Hasse, 'Der Apokalypse-Altar (Johannes-Altar) im Victoria und Albert Museum zu London', Niederdeutsche Beiträge zur Kunstgeschichte 19, 1980, pp. 125-36.
  • Lara Wilson, 'Master Bertram attr., The Apocalypse, Museum no. 5940-1859', interim conservation report, 1 July 2006, V&A Department of Paintings Conservation.
  • Max Hasse, 'Die Parler und der schöne Stil 1350-1400', Europäische Kunst unter den Luxemburgern, Köln, 1978, p. 530.
  • Kauffmann, C.M. Catalogue of Foreign Paintings, I. Before 1800. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1973, p. 30-34, cat. no. 31
  • Costaras, N, and Turnbull, R. "Master Bertram's Apocalypse Triptych: To clean or not to clean", inV&A Conservation Journal Autumn 2009/10, number 58, pp.47-49.
  • Andrea Worm, 'Per omnia saecula saeculorum. Alexander Minoritas Apokalypse-Kommentar und ein Retabel aus der Werkstatt Meister Bertrams in London', in Geschichte vom Ende her denken Endzeitentwürfe und ihre Historisierung im Mittelalter, Regensburg: Schnell & Steiner, 2019, pp. 159-188.
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
5940-1859

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Record createdJanuary 12, 2004
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O89176/altarpiece-with-45-scenes-of-altarpiece-master-bertram/
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