Artwork
Beschneidungsaltar: Die hll. Bartholomäus, Johannes Ev. und Johannes d. T.
Beschneidungsaltar: Die hll. Bartholomäus, Johannes Ev. und Johannes d. T. is an unspecified painting by Master of the Holy Kinship the Elder. It is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work is a religious painting that visually represents three specific saints: Bartholomew the Apostle, John the Evangelist, and John the Baptist.
The work is a religious painting that visually represents three specific saints: Bartholomew the Apostle, John the Evangelist, and John the Baptist. As a piece of religious art, the composition focuses entirely on the depiction of these holy figures, aligning with the altarpiece's title which identifies them by name. The subject matter centers on the veneration of these apostles and the Baptist within the context of Christian iconography, presenting them as the primary figures of the artwork.
History & Provenance
The altarpiece titled Beschneidungsaltar: Die hll. Bartholomäus, Johannes Ev. und Johannes d. T. was created by the Master of the Holy Kinship the Elder. It was commissioned for and has remained in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections, currently housed in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.
The work portrays the apostles Bartholomew, John the Evangelist, and John the Baptist. Its dimensions are 100.8 cm in height and 91.4 cm in width.
The painting is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections and is located at the Alte Pinakothek. The work measures 100.8 cm in height and 91.4 cm in width. The available sources do not provide a specific inventory or accession number for the piece, nor do they record any details regarding its exhibition history.
Overview
The panel, attributed to the workshop of the Master of the Holy Kinship the Elder, presents a small devotional grouping of three saints, Bartholomew, John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, rendered in a calm, landscape setting. The work is part of the collection of the Alte Pinakothek in Munich and exemplifies late Gothic devotional painting intended for private or chapel use.
Technique & Style
Executed in tempera on panel, the figures are rendered with delicate modeling and fine linear detail characteristic of the Master of the Holy Kinship’s circle. The drapery folds and facial features are treated with a gentle chiaroscuro, while the background landscape, trees, a river, a distant castle, provides a serene spatial context without overwhelming the saints.
Context
The composition reflects a devotional practice common in the Upper Rhine region, where groups of saints were depicted together for private contemplation. The inclusion of Bartholomew alongside the two Johns suggests a specific liturgical or patronal interest, perhaps linked to a local guild or chapel dedicated to these figures.
Artist & collection
Artist
Master of the Holy Kinship the Elder
The Master of the Holy Kinship the Elder was an anonymous German painter active in Cologne in the early fifteenth century, roughly between 1410 and 1440.
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