Roundel with the Crucifixion, the Virgin, and Saint John

Art Historical Context

This delicate *Roundel with the Crucifixion, the Virgin, and Saint*, created by an unknown South Netherlandish around 1525–30, captures a pivotal moment in Christian iconography: Christ's crucifixion flanked by the sorrowful Virgin Mary and Saint John the Evangelist. Crafted from colorless glass with silver stain and vitreous paint, this8 1/8-inch diameter piece exemplifies the refined stained glass tradition of the Northern Renaissance. The silver stain technique, a hallmark of the period, allowed artisans to achieve luminous yellow and gold tones by firing silver compounds into the glass, wh...