New style

The famous Albrecht Dürer expressly sends his regards to the artist of this painting in one of his letters to the Frankfurt merchant Jakob Heller. This shows his appreciation for Martin Caldenbach, who painted this retable, i.e. a painting intended for an altar in a church, and was inspired by Dürer in many details.

The artist lived in Frankfurt am Main around the year 1500, at the turn from the late Gothic period to the Renaissance. There were many innovations at this time: Caldenbach also used oil paints, which were still new at the time. These enabled him, for example, to reproduce the precious robes with their different fabrics in a deceptively realistic manner.

The depiction of perspective, such as in the archway in the central panel, was also new at the time and an idea from Italy. In contrast, the sky is depicted as a gold background and not as a realistic sky. Here Caldenbach still adheres to the old late Gothic style.