Artwork

Kirchenväteraltar, Flügelaußenseite: Der hl. Augustinus heilt den Stiftsprobst

Kirchenväteraltar, Flügelaußenseite: Der hl. Augustinus heilt den Stiftsprobst is an unspecified painting by the Early Renaissance artist Michael Pacher. It dates from 1490 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1490 by the Tyrolean artist Michael Pacher, the exterior panel of the Kirchenväteraltar portrays a scene from the life of Saint Augustine of Hippo. The work forms part of a larger altarpiece that combines painting and sculpture, a format relatively rare in Northern Europe at the close of the 15th century. It is presently conserved in the Alte Pinakothek.

Subject & Meaning

The composition shows Augustine, dressed in episcopal robes and a tall mitre, holding a staff with a twisted finial, as he administers a cure to a canon lying on a bench. The canon, depicted unclothed except for a cloth, rests with his legs bent and his expression serene, suggesting a miraculous healing narrative central to the altar’s devotional purpose.

Technique & Style

Pacher employs a pronounced chiaroscuro, using strong contrasts of light and shadow to model the figures in three‑dimensional form. The interior setting—arched windows, wooden ceiling, and tiled floor with red‑green patterns—provides a spatial framework that enhances the realism of the scene while retaining a stylised, early Renaissance sensibility.

History & Provenance

The panel was produced during Pacher’s mature phase, when he was integrating Italian Renaissance methods into Germanic artistic traditions. After remaining in its original ecclesiastical setting for several centuries, the piece entered the collection of the Alte Pinakothek, where it is displayed as part of the museum’s holdings of late medieval and early Renaissance art.

Context

The Kirchenväteraltar belongs to a broader program of altarpieces that combined painted panels with sculptural elements, reflecting the liturgical and didactic functions of church art in the late 15th century. Its subject—Saint Augustine’s miracle—aligns with the theological emphasis on saintly intercession prevalent in the period’s devotional practices.

Artist & collection

Artist

Michael Pacher

Michael Pacher (c. 1435 – August 1498) was a painter and sculptor from Tyrol active during the second half of the fifteenth century. He was one of the earliest artists to introduce the principles of Renaissance painting…