Well of Life, the Epitaph for Jan Clemenssoen

This panel, which according to the inscription in the original frame was to serve as an epitaph for Father Clemenssoen (d. 1511), provided a substitute name for the anonymous master from the Northern Low Countries. The scarce oeuvre of the Master of the Well of Life can also include three other works, kept in various collections in the world. The Prague panel shows the symbolic representation of Christ as the source of mercy, that is the Well of Life. This idea accentuates the theme of the Eucharist - the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ. This is why even Clemenssoen himself is depicted with the chalice of Christ´s blood, flowing from the wound in the Saviour´s side. Angels hand the blood around to other believers, who are represented according to the hierarchy of society of that time - first the dignitaries of the Church, then the representatives of worldly power, and in the background, ordinary people and the poor can be seen.