Artwork

Zweiter Kirchheimer Sippenaltar: Zacharias und Elisabeth mit dem Johannesknaben

Zweiter Kirchheimer Sippenaltar: Zacharias und Elisabeth mit dem Johannesknaben is an unspecified painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Master of Kirchheim. It dates from 1500 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.

About this work

Overview

Created around the year 1500, this panel painting is attributed to the anonymous artist known as the Master of Kirchheim. It forms part of the second Kirchheim family altar and is currently displayed in Munich’s Alte Pinakothek. The work presents a compact grouping of three biblical figures rendered in a restrained, early‑Renaissance visual language.

Subject & Meaning

The central figure is a young boy, identified as the infant John the Baptist, who holds a scroll bearing Latin text. Flanking him are a woman in a dark robe with her hands clasped, and a haloed woman in a white headscarf and dark dress, representing the parents Zacharias and Elisabeth. The composition emphasizes the prophetic role of the child within the familial context.

Technique & Style

The painting employs flat, uniform color fields with minimal modeling, giving the figures a two‑dimensional appearance. Details such as the pointed hat and the scroll are delineated with fine linear work rather than chiaroscuro. The overall surface shows signs of age and wear, consistent with early 16th‑century panel techniques.

History & Provenance

Originally part of a larger altarpiece commissioned for a Kirchheim chapel, the panel entered the collection of the Alte Pinakothek in the 19th century. Its attribution to the Master of Kirchheim rests on stylistic comparison with other works from the same workshop, and it has remained in the museum’s holdings since its acquisition.