Mérode Altarpiece, Robert Campin
Robert Campin·Mérode Altarpiece·c. 1427–32·Oil on oak panel·The Met Cloisters, New York↓

Robert Campin Flemish, c. 1375 – 1444

Mérode Altarpiece, c. 1427–32

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The Annunciation takes place in a tidy Flemish home: Mary reads, seated on the floor against a bench, as Gabriel kneels, and a lily stands in a jug on the table. On the left the donors kneel in a garden; on the right Joseph works in his carpenter's shop. Attributed to Robert Campin and his workshop, it is a founding work of northern oil painting.

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A tiny Christ Child carrying a cross glides toward Mary on rays of light through the left window. Joseph has made a mousetrap, and another sits for sale on his window ledge.

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