Master of the Imhoff Altar
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Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
painter. His name comes from an altarpiece
Altarpiece
An altarpiece is a picture or relief representing a religious subject and suspended in a frame behind the altar of a church. The altarpiece is often made up of two or more separate panels created using a technique known as panel painting. It is then called a diptych, triptych or polyptych for two,...
, dating to between 1418 and 1422, commissioned by Konrad Imhoff for the Lorenzkirche in Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
. Only the central panel, depicting the Coronation of the Virgin
Coronation of the Virgin
The Coronation of the Virgin or Coronation of Mary is a subject in Christian art, especially popular in Italy in the 13th to 15th centuries, but continuing in popularity until the 18th century and beyond. Christ, sometimes accompanied by God the Father and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove,...
, and the wings, depicting several apostles, are still preserved in the church, albeit partially disassembled. On the inner wings, flanking the Coronation, may be found a donor portrait
Donor portrait
A donor portrait or votive portrait is a portrait in a larger painting or other work showing the person who commissioned and paid for the image, or a member of his, or her, family...
of the donor with three of his four wives. Originally the back of the altarpiece held an image of Christ
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
as the Man of Sorrows
Man of Sorrows
Among the passages in the Hebrew Bible that have been identified by Christians as prefigurations of the Messiah, the Man of Sorrows of Isaiah 53 is paramount - the various theological traditions are discussed at that article...
, with the Virgin Mary and Saint John
John the Apostle
John the Apostle, John the Apostle, John the Apostle, (Aramaic Yoħanna, (c. 6 - c. 100) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of James, another of the Twelve Apostles...
. This piece, which has since been removed to the Germanisches Nationalmuseum
Germanisches Nationalmuseum
The Germanisches Nationalmuseum is a museum in Nuremberg, Germany. Founded in 1852, houses a large collection of items relating to German culture and art extending from prehistoric times through to the present day...
, is now believed to be the work of the Master of the Bamberg Altar
Master of the Bamberg Altar
The Master of the Bamberg Altar was a German painter active in the Nuremberg area. His name is derived from an altarpiece depicting scenes from the Passion, painted in 1429 for the Franciscan church in Bamberg; this may be seen today in the Bavarian National Museum in Munich...
.
It is believed by some historians that the Master of the Imhoff Altar is also the so-called Master of the Deichsler Altarpiece, whose work is known from two surviving altarpiece wings in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. Attempts have been made to link both artists to Berthold Landauer
Berthold Landauer
Berthold Landauer was a German painter active in Nuremberg. His name is first mentioned in civic registers, tax lists, and municipal accounts in 1396. In that year he was accepted as a citizen, taking a civic oath under the title of "painter". Tax registers of the St...
, but these have been based entirely on his activity in Nuremberg at the time in question. The Deischler paintings are believed to predate the Imhoff Altar by five to ten years, and are the work of an artist deeply familiar with the art of Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
from around 1400. The Imhoff Altar, by contrast, represents a marked shift towards a firmer and sparer manner, coupled with the use of stronger colors.