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, German, 1455/1460-1518/1522
Title
The Descent of the Holy Spirit; Saints Agnes and Dorothy (on verso)
Date1490/1494
MediumOil on panel
Dimensions
121 x 66 cm
Credit LinePurchased, 1928
Object numberNGI.914
Exhibition HistoryCentenary Exhibition, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, October - December 1964

The Wengen Altarpiece, Ulmer Museum, Ulm, 8 March - 12 July 2015

Label TextThis late fifteenth-century panel depicts the Descent of the Holy Spirit: the moment when the Virgin and the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit, which is represented by a white dove. The figures’ gestures reflect the various reactions to the miracle, ranging from the calm acceptance of the Virgin to the perplexed expression of the apostle Peter in the left foreground. Painted by the German painter Bartholomeus Zeitblom, this panel was originally part of a large altarpiece in the church of the Augustinian monastery of Wengen in the city of Ulm.