The Descent from the Cross

religious

The painting originates from the church of the Val de Grce in Paris. The outstanding painter in Cologne at the turn of the century, this unknown artist is named after the Saint Bartholomew Altarpiece now in Munich, and is also the author of a much smaller version of the Deposition, now in the National Gallery, London. In both the Paris and the National Gallery pictures the scene appears to take place within a carved and gilded shrine, mimicking the sculpted German tabernacles of the fifteenth century with their Gothic tracery and painted statues.

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About the Artist

Master Of The St. Bartholomew Altar

A German painter whose name derives from an altarpiece formerly in St Columba, Cologne, and now in Munich. Two other altarpieces by him are still in Cologne and probably date from c. 1500, although the St Bartholomew Altar itself is perhaps as late as 1510. The painter was probably a Cologne man, but his earliest works show the influence of the Netherlands, especially Roger van der Weyden and the school of Utrecht, so that it is sometimes suggested that he may have worked in Utrecht c. 1470. This influence is seen in a Virgin and Child With St Anne, now in Munich. His work is characterized by bright enamel-like colour. There are examples in Berlin, Brussels, London (National Gallery and Courtauld Institute) and Paris {Petit Palais and Louvre, based on Roger van der Weyden's Escorial Deposition).

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