Artwork
Saints Anno and Gregor the Moor
Saints Anno and Gregor the Moor is an oil painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Anton Woensam. It dates from 1520 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1520 by the German artist Anton Woensam, this oil painting presents a pair of saints in a formal, dignified pose. The work belongs to the Northern Renaissance period and is part of the Alte Pinakothek’s holdings. It reflects Woensam’s activity as both painter and wood‑engraver in early sixteenth‑century Cologne.
Subject & Meaning
The figures are Saint Anno II, the ninth archbishop of Cologne, and Saint Gregor the Moor, a Christian martyr of African origin. Both are shown standing side by side, each bearing a staff that signals ecclesiastical authority, underscoring their roles as intercessors and exemplars of faith.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on panel, the composition employs a detailed rendering of sumptuous garments and jeweled headpieces, characteristic of Northern Renaissance attention to texture. The contrasting red‑white and white‑red striped robes are set against a rocky landscape with distant trees and architecture, creating depth through layered atmospheric perspective.
History & Provenance
Woensam, who settled in Cologne around 1510 after likely training with his father Jaspar, produced the painting during a prolific period of book illustration. The work later entered the collection of the Alte Pinakothek, where it remains on display as a representative example of his painted output.
Artist & collection
Artist
Anton Woensam (c.1493/1496 – c.1541) was a German painter and wood-engraver. Woensam was "probably" trained by his father Jaspar as a painter. He mainly created book illustrations. He relocated from Worms to Cologne in…
