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

Early German Painting

Genre

Painting

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.