The Birth of Christ

religious

The scenes from the life of the Virgin, depicted on the inner sides of the wings, begin with the birth of Christ. Mary and Joseph worship the child in the stable, while outside in the fields angels announce the birth of the Lord to the shepherds. Full of curiosity, a crowd of men and women look on from behind the wooden fence of the stable.

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About the Artist

Hans Multscher

1400 – 1467

Multscher was a German sculptor active in Ulm. The solid naturalism of his style, reminiscent of Sluter, suggest that he was trained in the Netherlands or northern France. He ran a large workshop, which was influential in spreading this manner in Swabia. Paintings were integral to his altarpieces, but it is a matter for debate whether he practised painting himself. The Wurzach altar (1437), the only painting attributed to him by some experts, exhibits a realism nearer to contemporary Flemish than German painting. Among his most important works was the high altar for the church at Sterzing in the Tyrol (1456-58), part of which are now in the Multscher museum there.

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