Artwork

Flügelaltärchen (Flügel): Naam badet im Jordan; Seitenflügel: Hll. Cosmas und Damian

Flügelaltärchen (Flügel): Naam badet im Jordan; Seitenflügel: Hll. Cosmas und Damian is an unspecified painting by Unknown. It is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum. The work is a triptych painted on a winged altar, each wing divided into three arched registers.

About this work

Overview

The left wing presents a crowned woman in a green dress, while the right wing depicts a man in a black coat with red trousers, holding a long staff.

The work is a triptych painted on a winged altar, each wing divided into three arched registers. The central register shows a figure standing in water, surrounded by a crowd that includes a man in a red robe. The left wing presents a crowned woman in a green dress, while the right wing depicts a man in a black coat with red trousers, holding a long staff. A distant castle and mountains rise behind the central scene, adding spatial depth.

Subject & Meaning

The central scene is traditionally interpreted as the baptism of a man named Naaman in the Jordan River, a biblical episode of purification and healing. The flanking panels likely represent saints associated with the altar’s dedication: the left panel with a crowned female figure may allude to a saintly queen, and the right panel to Saints Cosmas and Damian, who are often shown with a staff and distinctive attire.

Technique & Style

Executed in tempera on wood, the painting employs a clear division of space through arches that frame each narrative vignette. The artist uses a restrained palette of reds, greens, and earth tones, while detailed rendering of clothing and landscape elements—such as the distant castle and mountainous horizon—demonstrates a careful attention to both figure and setting.

History & Provenance

The triptych was created as the wing altarpiece (Flügelaltärchen) for a church altar, originally serving a liturgical function. Over time it was detached from its original setting and entered museum collections, where it is now displayed as an example of devotional panel painting.