Curatorial Notes
In this panel from 1513, Hans Süss von Kulmbach depicts Mary Salome with her family: she cradles and nurses the young Saint John the Evangelist, while Saint James the Greater holds his traditional pilgrim’s staff, watched over by their father, Zebedee, seated at a writing desk. A faithful follower of Christ, Salome witnessed the Crucifixion and was among the women who found the empty tomb and received the announcement of the Resurrection. The composition belongs to the tradition of the Holy Kinship — the extended genealogy of the Virgin Mary according to medieval devotion — translating biblical holiness into the warm intimacy of a Renaissance home.
Artwork Identification
Title Mary Salome and her Family
Title (PT) Maria Salomé e sua Família
Title (ES) María Salomé y su Familia
Artist Hans Süss von Kulmbach
Artist Bio Hans Süss von Kulmbach was a German painter and printmaker active in Nuremberg. He was a prominent pupil of Albrecht Dürer and specialized in altarpieces and stained glass designs. His style bridges the late Gothic tradition with the emerging Renaissance influences of the early 16th century.
Date 1513
Work Type Painting
Location & Collection
Institution Cleveland Museum of Art
Source View Museum Page
License Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0
