Altarpiece with the Holy Trinity

Master of the Litoměřice Altarpiece

Master of the Litoměřice Altarpiece - Altarpiece with the Holy Trinity
In the central panel, protected by the cloak of God the Father, the donor is depicted adoring the Holy Trinity in the form of the Throne of Grace (Thronus gratiae). It is a traditional devotion theme, on the threshold of the Renaissance also depicted by Albrecht Dürer and Lucas Cranach the Elder. God the Father is wearing the papal tiara. In the religiously divided Bohemia, this circumstance may indicate a Catholic commissioner, perhaps even the supreme chancellor of the Kingdom of Bohemia, Albrecht Kolowrat-Liebsteinsky (died in 1510) or his descendants. The devotion topic is amplified by the composition of themes on the wings: Saint Barbara, patron saint of good death with a chalice and wafer, and the Madonna of Ears. The patron saints of Bohemia, Wenceslas and Sigismund whose remains are enshrined in Saint Vitus Cathedral, are depicted on the outer wings. The Master of the Litoměřice Altarpiece is the most significant representative of panel painting in Bohemia on the threshold of the Renaissance Era. Along with his wide team, he also decorated with murals Saint Wenceslas Chapel in Saint Vitus Cathedral, one of the most sacred areas in the kingdom.
date:
measurements: height 128,5 cm
width 155,8 cm
material: lime-wood
technique: Tempera
inventory number: O 1587 - O 1589
gallery collection: Collection of Old Masters