The Descent of the Holy Ghost
Artist
Pedro Machuca
(Spanish, ca. 1490 - 1550)
Dateca.1520-1530
Object number62.0265
Mediumoil on panel
Dimensions12 5/8 × 51 7/8 in. (32.1 × 131.8 cm)
frame: 55 5/8 × 16 1/2 × 3 1/2 in. (141.3 × 41.9 × 8.9 cm)
frame: 55 5/8 × 16 1/2 × 3 1/2 in. (141.3 × 41.9 × 8.9 cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineMuseo de Arte de Ponce. The Luis A. Ferré Foundation, Inc.
Gift of Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York
Collections
On View
Not on viewDescriptionOn the Christian feast of Pentecost, the Virgin Mary and the twelve Apostles gathered in Jerusalem and witnessed when the Holy Ghost, represented in the form of a dove and encircled by a large halo of light, descended into the room and gave everyone the power to speak in different tongues. Earlier depictions of the subject usually showed the Apostles with flames on their heads, an element that Machuca leaves out. This predella panel is thought to have been a part of a larger altarpiece which could have focused on the life of the Virgin, which would explain her central placement within the composition.
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