Art of Empathy: The Mother of Sorrows in Northern Renaissance Art and Devotion

One of only a handful of extant works attributed to the anonymous Nuremberg artist, the Master of the Stotteritz Altarpiece, the Mother of Sorrows is a fine example of the heightened realism that characterised much Northern European painting during the early Renaissance. Author David Areford seeks to reveal how this little-known artist was able to create such emotional drama within the confines of one small panel originally designed as part of a portable 15th-century diptych for personal devotion. The author shows how the concept of empathy remains relevant in our world today, and examines the influence of the Mother of Sorrows on the art of subsequent centuries, drawing comparisons with, amongst others, Picasso's 'Weeping Woman'.

Makes a substantive contribution...by entwining visual analysis with questions of intentionality and reception that transcend the discipline of art history--Andrea Pearson, Speculum lavishly illustrated--Charlie Patton, The Florida Times-Union [The] most important discovery in early German painting [in decades]--Colin Eisler, Professor at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University

David S. Areford is an independent scholar and the Brooklyn Museum's Curator of American Art.