Kirchenväteraltar: Hl. Ambrosius
Michael Pacher (1435-1498)

Altarpiece of the Church Fathers, St Ambrose,

um 1480
Material / Technology / Carrier
Zirbelholz
Dimensions of the object
216 x 91 cm
Displayed
AP OG Saal II
Department
Altdeutsche Malerei
Genre
Malerei
Inventory number
2599
Acquisition
1812 als Säkularisationsgut aus dem Augustinerchorherrenstift Neustift bei Brixen
Stock
Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen - Alte Pinakothek München
Citation
Michael Pacher, Kirchenväteraltar: Hl. Ambrosius, um 1480, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen - Alte Pinakothek München, URL: https://www.sammlung.pinakothek.de/en/artwork/01G1EPXGkE (Last updated on 24.08.2023)
This winged altarpiece (see inv. no. 2597, 2598, 2600) is one of the most important examples of South Tyrolean painting and a major work by the artist. Using painterly means, Pacher creates the illusion of a sculpted shrine—one not carved from wood but hewn from stone. Depicted are the four Great Doctors of the Western Church. Surrounded by the implements of their learning and writing is their true source of divine inspiration, appearing in the form of the dove of the Holy Spirit. Pacher has produced a tour de force of painterly effects: both the conception of the space and handling of the light from the right are thought out to the last detail. The perspectival tricks that enliven the picture are astonishing—for instance, the lecterns, the cradle, Augustine’s hand seemingly protruding beyond the picture plane, and, above all, the dove flying towards him.