Marienleben: Geburt Mariens

The seven panels from St Mary’s Chapel in St Ursula’s in Cologne gave the master from Cologne his name of convenience. The unknown artist ran a highly productive workshop in Cologne that was esteemed for its stylistic proximity to Netherlandish art after Stefan Lochner’s death. An eighth panel is in the National Gallery in London. The genre-like ‘Nativity of Mary’ and the calm ‘Visitation’ scene, in which the donor, Johann von Hirtz (d. 1481), an alderman and mayor of Cologne several times, is depicted, are especially appealing.