The Mérode Altarpiece - The Donors

The Mérode Altarpiece is a masterful oil on oak Panel triptych attributed to the Early Netherlandish painter Robert Campin and his assistant, exemplifying Northern renaissance art. Now housed in The Cloisters in New York, it depicts three scenes: the donors kneeling in prayer in a garden, the Annunciation to Mary set in a domestic, contemporary setting, and Saint Joseph with his trade tools. Rich in religious symbolism such as the lily and fountain, with the Holy Spirit represented by rays of light through a window, the work exemplifies the detailed storytelling and symbolism characteristic of religious painting of its time.