Altarpiece for the Pilgrimage Church of Sankt Wolfgang (1479-81)

Michael Pacher's masterpiece, the Altarpiece for the Pilgrimage Church of Sankt Wolfgang in Upper Austria (centre completed in 1479; wings completed in 1481) is one of the largest and most impressive carved and painted altar shrines in all of European art. The carved, painted, and gilded centrepiece represents the Coronation of the Virgin, and there are two sets of painted wings with scenes of the Life of Christ and of the local, miracle-working saint, Wolfgang. The whole complex is surmounted by an intricate wooden superstructure containing the Crucifixion. In the central shrine Christ is enthroned, solemnly blessing his mother, whom he has crowned as Queen of Heaven. Angels, beloved in German Gothic art, flutter about, while the life-sized figures of St Wolfgang and John the Evangelist bear witness. His brittle and agitated sculptural style demanded that each element be freestanding in a space that is deeply recessed.

The painted panels, with their deep architectural perspective and dramatic foreshortening, indicate a knowledge of Andrea Mantegna. The sculptural portions, with their intricate detail, bright polychrome, and sweeping draperies, show his attachment to northern traditions; and the architectural elements show an extravagant version of the late Gothic style.

Pacher was one of the earliest artists to introduce the principles of Renaissance painting into German-speaking regions.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 6 minutes):
Josquin Desprez: Benedicta es coelorum Regina, motet