Monumental carved, winged altarpieces are among the most ambitious artworks from the Middle Ages, incorporating the skills of painters, sculptors, and cabinetmakers. Those most notable for their originality and masterly execution were produced in the southern German-speaking regions, including Austria and South Tirol, in the last decades of the Late Gothic period (roughly 1460 to 1525). Paintings of the saints often adorned the movable wings, while carved reliefs or freestanding sculptures of scenes from the Gospels occupied the gilded, center shrine.
Rainer Kahsnitz offers a close examination of twenty-two of the most important surviving altarpieces, discussing their historical context and analyzing how their pictorial programs reflected changing notions of piety. The sumptuous color illustrations capture the altarpieces in all their possible arrangements. The stunning details of these pieces-riotous locks of hair, swirling fabric, and thickets of twisted vines-vividly demonstrate the skills of the master artisans who created them.
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