Saint Margaret and Saint Barbara

For the Augustinian monastery at Sankt Florian, Albrecht Altdorfer created a vast altarpiece. The additional images show the altarpiece in its entirety, with its wings both open and closed. These two panels were probably from the base. On one we see the praying donor, Provost Peter Maurer, our gaze drifting into the distance in the nave behind him. On the other panel, the saints Margaret and Barbara are shown sitting in a nook. Altdorfer’s work often reveals a bold use of perspective. Although not entirely accurate, he nonetheless skillfully conveys an impression of these intricate Gothic interiors and their overwhelming sense of depth.

Images © Belvedere, Wien, 2021 Albrecht Altdorfer (um 1480/85–1538), Martyrium des heiligen Sebastian (ehemalige Außenansicht des Sebastiansaltars), um 1509/16 Augustiner-Chorherrenstift Sankt Florian, Kunstsammlungen © Institut für Realienkunde des Mittelalters und der frühen Neuzeit (IMAREAL) – Peter Böttcher Albrecht Altdorfer (um 1480/85–1538), Passion Christi (ehemals Ansicht des Sebastiansaltars nach der ersten Wandlung), um 1509/16 Augustiner-Chorherrenstift Sankt Florian, Kunstsammlungen © Institut für Realienkunde des Mittelalters und der frühen Neuzeit (IMAREAL) – Peter Böttcher