Kaisheimer Altar: Geißelung Christi

Holbein employs a meticulous approach to anatomy, rendering muscles and flesh with striking accuracy. The drapery of the figures is treated with careful folds, while the palette combines vivid costume colors with the muted tones of the stone arch and tiled floor, reflecting the Northern Renaissance’s focus on realistic detail.

Originally installed as one wing of a three‑panel altar in the town of Kaisheim, the painting was later removed during secularisation and entered the collection of the Bavarian state. It has been displayed at the Alte Pinakothek since the museum’s early 19th‑century acquisitions.

Holbein the Elder worked at a time when German art was absorbing influences from both Italian humanism and the detailed observation characteristic of the Netherlandish school. This panel exemplifies that synthesis, marrying expressive religious narrative with a keen eye for material texture and spatial depth.