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Stefan Lochner (c. 1400-1451)
Cologne, 1445
Tempera and oil (?) on wood
35.5 x 22.5 cm
Inv. no. 272
This panel was originally part of a now partially lost altarpiece depicting the themes of the Incarnation and the Passion. The figures – St. Joseph, the Virgin, the Prophetess Anna and the Child Jesus held by the priest Simeon – are positioned around a small central altar. The fact that the work is dated – at the top of the diaphragm arch – is an unusual feature in this artist’s work.
Lochner’s use of some principles of realism suggests that he may have come into contact with the work of the great contemporary Flemish masters. Although the painting is less tied to the “soft style” used in Cologne in the early fifteenth century, Lochner still remained largely true to the city’s painting tradition, as shown by the figure’s facial characteristics, the rich palette and the abundant use of gold.
The back of the panel, originally one of the outer sides of the triptych, shows a less elaborate figure of St. Francis receiving the stigmata from Christ, who is revealed when a seraphim’s wings open.
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