Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
• Start on the ground floor, in Room 1 (a.k.a. Gallery I, directly across from the ticket
counter), filled with religious paintings.
Robert Campin—
The Seilern Triptych
—
The Entombment
(c. 1425)
As the earliest known work of this pioneering artist, the altarpiece is a mix of medieval
piety and proto-Renaissance techniques. Christ's followers prepare to lower him into the
tomb. In medieval fashion, it's set on a gold-leaf background with intricate vines and
flowers hammered in. Christ's body is spindly, weightless, and presented at an unnatural
angle. But the faces! With knit brows, they bear their sorrow solemnly. Even the angels
are choked up. The man kneeling at left (who donated the money for the altarpiece) has a
day's growth of beard—that's spot-on realism.
• Climb the stairs two flights up to the “first” floor. Here you'll survey the rooms clock-
wise, in chronological order. Begin by turning left from the top of the stairs into Room 2
(with large painted chests), dedicated to the Renaissance.
Lucas Cranach the Elder—
Adam and Eve
(1526)
Eve takes a bite of Knowledge, gazes into the distance, and passes the forbidden fruit to a
puzzled Adam, standing in a lush garden amid peaceful animals. Strategic branches fuzz
