In 1501 Matthias Landauer, who had a flourishing business selling the products of his smelter, founded the Zw?lfbr¨¹derhaus (¡°Twelve Brothers House¡±) in Nuremberg. This was an institution that provided a home for twelve needy artisans in their old age. In 1508 the founder commissioned an altarpiece for the newly erected chapel. D¨¹rer had returned a year earlier to Nuremberg from his second trip to Venice, which had been a revelation to him. He chose the more modern form of the altarpiece rather than the late Gothic winged altar. The chapel was dedicated to all the saints, and this resulted in his choice of subject the Trinity ¨C the Dove of the Holy Spirit, God the Father and Christ ¨Cis the focus of attention. Supported by a band of angels presenting instruments of the Passion to Christ, the group hovers above the crowd arranged in a semicircle around them. Mary leads the group of female saints, among them Barbara(chalice), Catherine (wheel) and Agnes (lamb) behind John the Baptist on the right is a host of prophets and kings of the Old Testament, including David (harp) and Moses (tablets of the Law). The presence at the bottom of a group of members of the sacred and secular Christian community ¨C from popes to a simple monk, from an emperor to representatives of the peasantry (threshingflail) ¨C cannot be explained with All Saints iconography. Their lives have already been weighed in the Last Judgment depicted on the frame, and thus they are members of the ¡°kingdom of God¡±. This concept is based on the writings of St. Augustine (354¨C430 AD). Landauer himself, invited to join by a cardinal, is found in the group at the left edge of the painting. As he did in other cases as weIl, D¨¹rer expanded his signature by adding a full-length self-portrait in the landscape at the bottom. ? C?cilia Bischoff, Masterpieces of the Picture Gallery. A Brief Guide to the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna 2010 Title Adoration of the Trinity (Landauer Altar) Creator Albrecht D¨¹rer Creator Lifespan 1471/1528 Creator Nationality german Creator Gender male Creator Death Place Nuremberg Creator Birth Place Nuremberg Date Created 1511 Location Created Nuremberg, Germany Style German Renaissance Provenance acquired in Nuremberg by Emperor Rudolf II in 1585, without the original frame Place Part Of Germany Physical Dimensions w1234 x h1350 cm (without frame) Inventory Number GG 838 Frame The frame is a 19th-century copy of the original (Nuremberg, Germanisches Nationalmuseum) Artist Biography Though D¨¹rer lamented Germany's medieval conception of artists, Italian Renaissance ideas first came north in a powerful way through him. D¨¹rer initially trained in Nuremberg as a goldsmith, painter, and woodcutter. After visiting Venice in 1495, he intensely studied mathematics, geometry, Latin, and humanist literature. He expressed himself primarily through prints; painting was less profitable, and Lutheran church reformers disdained most religious artworks. D¨¹rer's paintings are few and more traditional than his engravings and woodcuts. In 1498 he published the first book entirely produced by an artist, The Apocalypse, which included fourteen woodcuts illustrating the Book of Revelation. Its vivid imagery, masterly draftsmanship, and complex iconography established his reputation. After visiting Italy again from 1505 to 1507, D¨¹rer's art assimilated Renaissance principles. Despite the impressive scope of his workshop, D¨¹rer left no direct successors, though his easily transportable prints were influential throughout Europe. ?J. Paul Getty Trust Type paintings Medium Oil on Wood
