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Pentecost

Subject
Late Gothic retable depicting scenes from the lives of Mary and Jesus
Author, school, workshop
Wit Stwosz (ca. 1448-1533)
Contributor
-
Style
Late Gothic
Date
1477-1489
Type
Altarpiece in the form of a pentaptych
Material and technique
Wood/carving, gilding, polychrome
Size
2,5 × 2,3 m
Signatures and inscriptions
-
Identity number
-
Department
-
Links/analogies
-
Owner
Saint Mary's Basilica in Krakow
Copyright
Saint Mary's Basilica in Krakow
Location
Saint Mary's altar (by Wit Stwosz) in the presbytery
Description
The cycle of major feasts closes with a quatrefoil depicting Pentecost. As in most scenes, Mary is depicted in the centre, with the apostles crowded around her, moved by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Cenacle, with its large, pointed-arch windows, suggests that the disciples were gathered in a Gothic temple.