Artwork

Wettenhauser Hochaltar: Verkündigung an Maria Rückseite: Abschied Christi (linke Hälfte)

Wettenhauser Hochaltar: Verkündigung an Maria Rückseite: Abschied Christi (linke Hälfte) is an unspecified painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Martin Schaffner. It dates from 1523 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.

About this work

Overview

This painting is a panel from the Wettenhauser Hochaltar, a religious altarpiece created by Martin Schaffner in 1523. It is one of two scenes on the reverse side of the altar, with the other being Abschied Christi.

Subject & Meaning

The scene depicts the Annunciation, with the Virgin Mary kneeling and a divine messenger, likely the Angel Gabriel, standing beside her. A dove, symbolizing the Holy Spirit, is shown above them. The setting is a domestic interior with a bed and large windows.

Technique & Style

Schaffner's work blends German artistic traditions with early influences from Italian Baroque. The composition and figures are rendered in a style characteristic of early 16th-century German painting, with attention to detail and a focus on narrative.

History & Provenance

Martin Schaffner, active in Ulm, was a painter and medallist who worked as an independent master from 1499. He was apprenticed under Jörg Stocker and specialized in religious-themed altarpieces.

Artist & collection

Artist

Martin Schaffner

Martin Schaffner (c. 1478 – c. 1548) was a German painter and medallist. Schaffner was born, lived and worked primarily in Ulm. His birth year is calculated based on a self-portrait medal he created in 1522 in which he…