The Burg Weiler Altar Triptych (Altarpiece with the Virgin and Child and Saints)

Master of the Burg Weiler Altarpiece

ca. 1470 · Oil on wood, gold ground · The Cloisters

This imposing and well-preserved altarpiece achieves monumentality through the modeling and scale of the major figures. The grouping of these figures in a frieze-like arrangement and the repeating patterns of the floor and background provide visual unity. The saints on either side of the Virgin are identified both by the inscriptions below and by their attributes. From left to right are SS. Jodokus, Wendel, Apollonia, Barbara, Catherine, Lawrence, Sebastian, and Maurice. A pair of angels hovers above while gently lowering an elaborate crown onto the Virgin's head. The outer panels represent St. Theodulus and martyrs of the Theban Legion, revealed when the altarpiece is closed.

Artist

Master of the Burg Weiler Altarpiece

Date

ca. 1470

Medium

Oil on wood, gold ground

Culture

German

Department

The Cloisters

Credit line

The Cloisters Collection, 1953