Hofer Altar: Auferstehung Christi (Rückseite: Apostel Bartholomäus und Jakobus)

Pleydenwurff employs a realistic approach characteristic of mid‑15th‑century German painting, using careful modelling of light and colour to give volume to the figures. The landscape background, rendered with rolling hills and atmospheric perspective, reflects the influence of Northern Renaissance naturalism, while the crisp detailing of garments and halos demonstrates his skill in oil tempera techniques.

Born around 1420, Pleydenwurff settled in Nuremberg by 1457, where he produced works for local churches and patrons. This altar panel entered the collection of the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, where it remains part of the museum’s German Renaissance holdings, offering insight into the artist’s output during his most productive period.

The work belongs to a period when German painters were assimilating ideas from the burgeoning Northern Renaissance, moving away from the more stylised International Gothic toward greater naturalism. By depicting both a pivotal biblical event and individual saints, the panel served liturgical functions while also catering to personal devotion, a common practice in late medieval altar commissions.