Vranke van der Stockt
The Throne of Mercy and the Virgin's Fainting

Mid-15th century
Museum of Sacred Art, Caltagirone, Sicily

The painting merges the iconography of the Throne of Mercy with that of the Crucifixion. Posed as if at the Cross in the lower half are John, Mary in a faint, and Mary Magdalene in her usual attitude of anguish. In the upper half we see the traditional elements in a Throne of Mercy: enthroned Father, dying Son, dove as Spirit, and mappa mundi globe. A key difference is that there is no cross; the Son's body is shown limp and lifeless, with a white cloth, as in "Death of Jesus" images.

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Photographed at the site by Claire Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.