Agony in the Garden

The Master of the Drapery Studies painted this Agony in the Garden around 1485 as part of his Passion cycle. The nocturnal scene in Gethsemane, with Christ praying while his disciples sleep, opened the Passion narrative proper. The master's distinctive style brings his characteristic sculptural quality to this contemplative scene. This work belongs to the Early Renaissance, the transformative period in European art when painters first applied mathematical perspective, naturalistic figure modeling, and archaeological interest in antiquity to the inherited traditions of medieval devotional painting. The tension between Gothic grace and Renaissance structure gives art of this period a distinctive energy.

Oil on panel with nocturnal setting and the master's identifiable drapery treatment. The sleeping apostles and praying Christ are rendered with the angular precision that characterizes his work.